Birth of the Ice Dragon
by Snow-hime
Summary: Pulled out of their mundane, normal lives Annabel Faust and Miranda Caro are thrown into a world of psychics and demons. But why does Annabel feel like they're being watched? And what sent them there? She has a feeling she won't like the answer. And Miranda? She's too distracted by a certain fire demon to be much help. Sequel is now being written.
1. Introduction

**A/N** : **It seems like its been forever since I've published anything on this site. I've decided to do a total rewrite of Why Us! Over the years I've had more writing experience and I actually have an original plot that will be rearing its head. I would've put it in the original but by the time I thought of it I was too far in to establish it. For those of you that read the original story while I was on hiatus I thank you all for your support.**

 **Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho doesn't belong to me, if it did it would be incomplete and be on hiatus like Hunter X Hunter. Which, ironically enough, seems to be made by the same person. Huh, the more you know!**

 **Introduction**

 _Such a happy, content life. How dull. There's no excitement, no thrill. Perhaps a change of venue is needed. Who knows? Maybe you'll thank me one day or curse me until your last breath. Either way it'll be a fun ride. Right Annabel?_

Annabel woke up on a park bench to the sound of birds chirping. She groaned and sat up, her neck now sore. She blinked in a half awake daze, taking in her surroundings. There was a sakura tree providing her with shade and a small flower garden. "Where am I?" She wonders aloud, the reality of her situation slowly dawning on her. Annabel was in a foreign place, abandoned on a park bench. So she did what any kidnapping victim would do, she screamed.

Miranda, another girl in a similar situation, had a different reaction. "Did I go drinking last night? No, that can't be it. Anna would've thrown a bitch fit if she saw me with booze. Didn't we have a sleep over?" Miranda wonders aloud, ignoring the strange looks she received. With her gothic looks it wasn't that unusual. Might as well explore a little. Maybe I'll run across something, or Annabel. I'd be fine with either one. She thought with a shrug.

 _It looks like I sent Annabel with an unexpected tag along. An over sight on my part but one that might be advantageous. For now I shall remain silent but who knows what the future holds?_


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm writing this all on my cell phone so chapters are wayyy shorter. Still, enjoy the read and let me know if you like the story!**

 **Disclaimer: Still don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. I did, at one point, buy one of the video games. That's something right?**

 **Chapter 1**

 _Good, you've finally calmed down Annabel. Not that your panic attack wasn't amusing. In fact I'll give you and your friend something you might need: communication. Only verbal of course, good luck trying to read kanji book worm!_

At least whoever abducted me was thoughtful enough to leave my purse. So I'm not penniless. Annabel thought, deciding to try figuring out where she was. One thing she quickly noted was that she was the only caucasian around. The text for all the buildings were written in kanji. I always wanted to visit Japan as a kid but never like this. I can't even speak the language! She thought irritably. Unbeknownst to her she was being tracked.

* * *

On a large monitor in the Spirit World the screen showed two American girls, a short girl with long brunette hair and brown eyes and the other was a bit taller with short black hair and hazel eyes. "These two suddenly appeared in town after a spirit energy surge strong enough to be felt in the Spirit World. I want you two to see how they're connected." Koenma states. "We understand that but why us specifically?" Hiei asks irritably.(I totally wish I put this line in the original! Sorry, carry on.) The toddler prince raised an eyebrow. "They're adolescent girls and both of you are physically attractive. I would think it's fairly obvious." Koenma says bluntly.

* * *

After a bit of exploring on both girl's parts they eventually found each other. "Anna!" Miranda exclaims, tackling the older girl with a hug. Annabel didn't know whether to be over joyed or horrified to see a famiar face. "Mira, please tell me that this is some really elaborate prank." She begs, Miranda shrugged. "No clue, I was hoping you'd know." "I've got a few theories but none of them are very positive." Annabel admits. "Okay then, what's the most positive?" Miranda asks. "This all being a prank. Worst case is that we got caught up in human trafficking and are now trapped in Japan." Annabel says in an unusually calm tone. "You've already freaked out about this haven't you?" Miranda comments, Annabel deadpanned. "You know me well."

The girls went to a grocery store that, thankfully, accepted American currency. They couldn't read kanji so they both just grabbed two premade bentos. They sat at a park bench and struggled to use the provided chopsticks. After their initial irritation the two laughed at their incompetence. "I'm never taking silverware for granted ever again!" Annabel exclaims, Miranda chuckled. "Didn't you date a guy from Korea? You should be a natural." Miranda teased. "No, that's my mom's fiancé and he's half Korean." Annabel corrected, trying to ignore the feeling of being watched. Maybe she was just being paranoid.

Other than Annabel occasionally glancing around the two Americans weren't very suspicious. But Koenma wanted them questioned anyways so Kurama had a demon plant prepared to knock out the two girls. They were both chatting happily and didn't seem aware of the red head behind them. Annabel and Miranda inhaled the spores and, just before completely passing out, Annabel looked at Kurama in what looked like recognition.

* * *

(In a nondescript, bland room)

When Annabel and Miranda both woke up they were both tied to chairs and in an empty room. "Miranda? Did you get a glimpse of whoever kidnapped us?" Annabel asks, glancing around warily. She was starting to wish she'd just listened to her instincts. At the moment they were telling her that they were still being watched. "Nope, how about you? You're the one obsessed with crime shows." "I am not! At least I'm not obsessed with Supernatural!" Annabel retorts, Miranda raised an eyebrow.

"Ugh, fine. He was definitely male with long red hair and emerald eyes. He looked exactly like-" Annabel froze, realizing exactly where she'd seen those features before. "Miranda this place isn't even our Japan! I think I know who our captors are!" Annabel hissed. "That should make this easier for us then."

Annabel's face flushed, the anime clearly didn't do the kitsune's looks justice. "Look Anna, it's a spiky haired hot guy!" Miranda happily exclaims, if Annabel's hands were free she would've face palmed. "I'm pretty sure if they killed us now it would be a mercy killing." Annabel grumbles in embarrassment. It was bad enough that they were in another country, she didn't want to add demons into the mix!

Of the two only the brunette had a clue of what was going on. She was more embarrassed than terrified and kept giving Kurama shy glances when she thought he wasn't looking. The girl with short black hair was definitely staring at Hiei, unnerving the demon. Why couldn't it have been the sane one?


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well here's the second chapter. Thanks to Ashe Montreal and Dark Rose Charm for the reviews!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 _It looks like the Spirit world has gotten more competent since I left. Still it's strange that they would employ demons. Last I heard Enma wasn't on good terms with them. Let's see how this little "interrogation" goes._

Kurama was the one that led the "interrogation", honestly the two teens looked harmless. "Do you both know who we work for?" Kurama asks, deciding to start with the basics. Only Annabel gave a hesitant nod, they heard her comment before so there was no point in denying it. "Could someone please fill me in on what's going on?" Miranda asks. Hiei's crimson eyes bore into Annabel's as the brunette gulped. "Let's see what your friend knows."

"Um, I know that you two are Kurama and Hiei. You both work for Koenma, the prince of the Spirit World. But why would he have any interest in us?" Annabel asks. Maybe if they were lucky he could send them back home! Suddenly she felt a strong headache and groaned. What the hell was that about? "There was a large surge of spirit energy shortly after you two arrived in town. Do you know anything about it?"

"Nope. I don't know about Anna but I just woke up here." Miranda comments, Annabel nodded in agreement. "Yeah I was kinda busy having a panic attack. I don't do well under pressure." Annabel says sheepishly. Kurama looked at the two and sighed. "It could still be linked to how you got here. Do either of you have spiritual abilities?" Kurama asks. "Nope, none." Annabel says with obvious relief. "Does this count?" Miranda asks, burning through her ropes. She then proceeded to glomp Hiei.

"Yes, that would." Kurama comments, trying not to laugh. The katanna wielding demon was trying to find a way to remove the human without killing her. The death of an innocent, no matter how annoying, would probably add years to his sentence. Annabel sighed, obviously used to her friend's eccentric behavior. "Great, now she's going to be a pyromaniac. Could you please untie me?" Annabel asks quietly, her eyes shifting to her feet.

"Certainly, I take it you're the level headed one?" Annabel nods, rubbing her now freed wrists. "I'm the oldest of the grandchildren in my family so I have to be the responsible one. I'm Annabel Faust, the girl currently clinging to Hiei is my friend Miranda Caro. She's a hand full." Annabel admits. "Hey Anna, I just thought of something. This is Japan and neither of us know any Japanese. How are we talking to these guys?" Miranda asks, the room went silent.

"I don't know but there's got be some type of explaination. Just what we needed, another mystery." Annabel groans, she had a feeling that she'd be having more headaches in the near future. Kurama felt sympathy for the girls, they were in an alien environment far from home because something brought them here and left them to their own devices. Still, whatever sent them could possibly return so it'd be a good idea to keep a close eye on them. "We'll ask Koenma about your situation when we report to him. He says reassuringly, Annabel smiled. "At this point any help would be great."

"Can we go with you to meet this Koenma guy? If his workers are this good looking he must be gorgeous!" Miranda exclaims, sometimes Annabel wondered what went on in the hormonal teenager's mind. Hiei was still glaring heatedly at the human leech, that gave Annabel an idea. "If you bring us with you I can get Miranda to let go of you." Annabel offers, an obviously tempting offer. The two demons exchanged silent words, most likely through one of the jagan's abilities, and Hiei hesitantly nodded. "Fine." He says irritably. Annabel walked up to her friend and tickled her sides, causing her to retract her arms in a fit of laughter. "That's all you had to do?" Hiei asks incredulously.

Annabel shrugged. "Not everything has to be solved with violence." She says as Miranda attempted to retaliate, pouting when it had no visible effect. "Come on, I know you're ticklish. Why isn't it working?" Miranda complains. "It doesn't really work if I see it coming. Now please try to keep your hands off homicidal demons." Annabel comments, dragging her away. "Kill joy." Miranda mutters, clinging to one of Annabel's arms. Her lack of flinching showed how common it was for Miranda to do this. "Well, what're we waiting for? Let's go!"


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: I finally got a computer to type this out on! No more having to write this on a touch screen. Woo!**

 **Chapter 3**

 _So now Koenma is in charge. Can't wait to see their reaction to his appearance, last time I saw the toddler was centuries ago. I'll give him some credit they're better than the humans they had as spirit detectives. Wonder what dirt he has on them to make them take orders._

Koenma definitely wasn't expecting to see his suspects and went red when Miranda began laughing hysterically. "You didn't tell us he was a toddler!" She howled as Annabel decided to be more respectful, turning her head to the side and silently snickering. She'd been aware of his appearance but it was still hilarious to see in real life! Koenma composed himself and cleared his throat. "And who might you two be?" Koenma demands.

"This is Annabel Faust." The brunette bowed respectfully. "And Miranda Caro." The other girl's laughter quieted down to a snicker or two. "And why are they in my office?" Koenma asks, Annabel stepped forward. "We wanted to know what brought us here and if it was possible to go back home." Annabel says nervously. Another headache suddenly hit her as she winced in pain. This time it came with a brief glimpse of the spirit energy of those around her. She blinked, maybe she spoke about not having any abilities too soon.

Koenma sighed. "I'm the Prince of the Spirit World, not a miracle worker." Miranda and Annabel both looked at the toddler with matching downcast expressions, eyes watering. "But until we can I suppose I could find a place for you both to stay!" He quickly added. The girls inwardly grinned, apparently the threat of tears worked on males in every universe.

(On the edge of Genkai's property)

"So are you going to reveal that you're a secret serial killer and dump our bodies in the woods?" Miranda asks bluntly, Annabel chuckles. Miranda was still upset that Hiei left them, apparently he didn't want to be anywhere near his new fan. Annabel couldn't blame him, her friend was very affectionate. "We're going to Genkai's temple. Rumor has it that she'll be looking for an apprentice soon. Hopefully she can provide you a place to stay and some training." Kurama explains. Looking for an apprentice? Yusuke hadn't trained under her yet? Apparently they were in the early chapters of the series.

"I'm not taking in one of the toddler's charity cases, let alone two of them" Genkai retorts. "Believe me, we want nothing to do with your training!" Annabel quickly interjects. "We don't?" Miranda asks in confusion. Hell no. Annabel thought, remembering the hellish training that Yusuke was going to endure. She was also feeling on edge from all the creatures that lived on Genkai's property. Genkai looked at the girls, they had potential but neither looked very experienced. Still maybe she could use these two as guinea pigs for the tournament she was going to hold to decide her next apprentice. "I'll take them in, if they can pass a couple tests." She says with a smirk, both girls gulped.

"Okay, why are we doing this again? And what does picking a slip of paper have to do with it?" Miranda asks. "You two will be testing out the trials I have for an upcoming event. Now pick an envelope." Both girls grabbed an envelope. "Red will send you to the next trial, white will eliminate you. Now open them." Annabel prayed for white, both girls picked red. "Well that wasn't very hard. What else is there?"

Both girls looked in awe, it was like they were in an arcade. Just how much money did this lady have? "The next trial will be playing three specific games: karaoke, the punch game and rock-paper-scissors. And they're not free." Genkai states, Miranda looked at Annabel sheepishly. "Anna? Got any change I can borrow?" Annabel sighed and wordlessly handed her some quarters. Like a child in a candy store she ran off with a large smile. "Tell me Annabel, why are you dragging your feet in all this?" Genkai asks, Annabel gulped. "I'm not much of a fighter to be honest. If everything goes right we won't be here very long." She states.

* * *

Game Scores

Punch It!

Annabel: 120

Miranda: 135

"Ha! I got a higher score than you did!" Miranda boasts, Annabel looked confused. "I could barely dead lift fifteen pounds in high school. How could our skinny arms have that much power?"

Karaoke

Annabel: 95

Miranda: 80

"Come on, that's no fair! You were actually in choir!" Miranda complains, Annabel face palmed. "Neither of us could even read the words Mira. Even I don't know how we passed."

Rock/Paper/Scissors

Annabel: 15 wins

Miranda: 10 wins, 5 losses

* * *

"Well? How did we do?" Miranda asks excitedly, looking to the old woman for feed back. "Not bad for brats still wet behind the ears. You both would have passed." Genkai states as Miranda cheered, hugging Annabel. "I'm rather impressed with the karaoke scores. For someone who claimed not to be a fighter you got a high score."Genkai states, Annabel blushed. "Now its time for one last test."

"You want us to go into the woods, on our own, to find a dojo. Do you want us to get killed?" Annabel exclaims,Genkai leveled her glare at the girl. "I will not accept a wimp as my disciple. I have a feeling that both of you can survive. If you don't make it you won't have to worry about finding a place to stay."


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Another chapter down and this story got its first favorite! I look forward to them training under Genkai too but I might not detail the training until the REAL disciple to Genkai's technique shows up. Misery does love company! Feel free to review!**

 **Chapter 4**

* * *

 _You may not hear my voice now but my voice will get louder. You are here for a reason and it's idiotic to think I'll send you home so easily. Not until I get to have some fun._

* * *

"We need to stick together Mira, this isn't a competition." Annabel says, trying to convince the stubborn girl to follow her lead. "Anna, you could get lost using a GPS." Miranda says bluntly. "That isn't the point!" Annabel groans. "The earlier tests were easy, this one can't be too hard. See ya at the dojo!" Miranda exclaims, running down a path that Annabel felt uneasy about. She had control over fire so Miranda could handle herself. Right?

Miranda was almost eaten twice by large venus fly trap plants, almost landed in an acid pit and was chased by a pack of wolves. She couldn't imagine how Annabel was handling this. Finally the dojo was in sight, maybe she could convince Genkai into helping her comb the woods for- "Hey Mira! It's about time you got here!" Annabel exclaims, apparently drinking tea with the old woman.

Other than some sweat stains and various cuts from branches and undergrowth, Annabel was completely unharmed. Miranda, on the other hand, had a broken toe, bites, scratches, and an acid burn. "How are you unscathed? I almost got eaten and dissolved!" Miranda exclaims, Annabel grinned. "Just luck and intuition. Bet you'll listen to me next time." Miranda fell in a heap on the ground, using what little energy she had left to give Annabel a dirty look and the middle finger.

After Miranda got her wounds treated and both girls had some rest Genkai sat them both down. "You both have different talents in spirit energy it seems. Annabel is more in tune with her sixth sense, depending on her instincts. Miranda you tend to focus more on brute force and powering through obstacles. Those are your strengths." Genkai explains. "Does that mean we can stay here?" Miranda asks as both girls waited for an answer.

"You can stay but I won't accept any slacking. I expect you both to have jobs and to train. Uncontrolled spirit energy is as dangerous as giving a child a gun." Annabel and Miranda both winced, for different reasons. Miranda hadn't ever worked and depended on her parent's income. Annabel wasn't looking forward to the difficult training. "That...sounds fair." Annabel agrees hesitantly, Miranda nods.

There were enough rooms for Miranda and Annabel to get their own. "Well it's official, this isn't a dream." Annabel sighs as she sat on her futon. It was hard to believe all the things that happened in their first day here. At least they wouldn't be living on the streets, that was an upside to their situation. She looked through her purse for anything useful. A cell phone that probably didn't work, twenty dollars, hard candies and her usual stash of pens. "Hey Anna, you don't have a mattress either?" Miranda asks, sitting beside her.

"Nope, we just have guest futons. If you want a mattress you have to buy it yourself." Annabel says with a yawn. Miranda was silent and wrapped her arms around Annabel. "This is real isn't it." She comments quietly, the severity of their situation finally hitting her. Annabel just nodded, not trusting her voice. Miranda's body shook as she began to sob into Annabel's shoulder. Her eyes filled with tears and she muffled her own sobs, crying silently. Eventually the two fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Just wanted to quickly note that if you review please make sure it pertains to the story. And for those that are following or have favorited this thank you for your support. :) Sorry if the story seems slow but I wanted to make sure I fleshed out the characters more. Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 5**

* * *

 _The more you train the easier it is to lose yourself in the rhythm of constant battle. You might hate confrontation but when I'm done with you you'll crave a good fight. After all, real battle is much more interesting to be a part of than passively reading about or watching it._

* * *

The girls were both woken up by a loud banging noise, Annabel groaned. She was not a morning person. "What time is it?" She grumbles, prying Miranda's arms off of her. "Time for you both to wake up." Genkai states as Annabel shook Miranda awake. "Wha? I'm up." Miranda says groggily, sitting up. "I'm only making breakfast for today. Don't get used to it." She says, Annabel yawned. "As long as there's coffee I can fend for myself."

Instead of a western breakfast there was rice, miso, and what looked to be dried fish. It was a very light meal and the girls faced their greatest adversary: chop sticks. Annabel found some instant coffee and was slowly starting to wake up. "So what are we doing first? Job hunting?" Miranda asks, Annabel shook her head. "You're over looking a major problem, we can't read or write Japanese. I was thinking of going to a book store to see if there are any self help books on learning the language." It was ironic since she had always been better at writing other languages than speaking them. Miranda was fluent in one other language, Italian, due to it being her birth country before moving to America with her father.

Genkai thought back to her sister mentioning that she needed another worker at Book Charming. Miranda was too hyperactive to handle standing still for too long but Annabel was a good candidate. That way at least one of them was guaranteed to have a job. "I'll tell Hiromi to expect you then. Her book store is the pale pink building." Genkai states, leaving the girls to finish their meal. "That was really nice of her. Why do I have a feeling the rest of our stay will be hell?" Miranda wonders aloud. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that this place has a land line and that there's a pink building in town!" Annabel exclaims.

The pink store wasn't hard to find and a small bell chimed as the girls walked in. To Annabel, being near this many books and being unable to read them was torture. The woman behind the counter bore a striking resemblance to Genkai, her hair silver with age instead of pink. Her brown eyes had crows feet and her face while smiling revealed laugh lines. "You two must be Annabel and Miranda, my sister mentioned you'd be heading down here. I'm Hiromi Kyoda, the owner of this store." She introduces.

"You're Genkai's sister?" Both girls exclaimed, Hiromi raised an eyebrow. "What? Did you expect me to be a master in fighting techniques?" She asks. "We weren't aware she had any family at all." Annabel admits. It was never mentioned in the manga so Annabel was surprised. Then again the story focused more on Yusuke than his master. Hiromi sighed. "My sister has been living in total isolation since she lost her teammates in a tournament. I'm actually surprised that she took you in. Now what is it that you need?" She asks.

"Do you have any books to learn Japanese? And an English to Japanese dictionary?" Annabel asks. "For foreigners you speak the language well. Why would you need those?" Annabel blushed in embarrassment. Miranda took it upon herself to explain. "We can't read or write the language. We learned how to speak Japanese by watching subbed anime." Couldn't you find a better explanation than that? Annabel mentally groaned, wanting to sink into the ground and disappear forever. Hiromi didn't look like she believed her but retrieved the books anyways. When Annabel saw the prices she knew there was no way she could afford them.

"Do we have enough?" Miranda asks, Annabel shook her head. "Not even close. I guess we can hold off on getting the books until we get jobs." She says hesitantly, wondering how the hell they'd be able to fill out applications. They both were startled when Hiromi chuckled. "I can partially solve your problem. Now which one of you girls fancies working in a store surrounded by dusty books?"


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Just wanted to mention that different cultures have different work ethics. In the U.S. we give servers tips depending on how their service is while in others it's considered a slap to the face by insinuating that they need to be motivated by money. Not really important but I figured I'd explain just in case there was any confusion.**

 **Chapter 6**

* * *

 _You'd think that in a world filled with demons that there would be more interesting things to do. Still, she's starting to hear my voice. Its only a matter of time until she falls under my influence._

* * *

A week has passed and there was no word from Koenma about their... predicament. Every day Annabel would wake up, praying that she'd be in her own home only to be disappointed. Miranda, the more spirited of the two, took everything in stride. Being from a military family meant that she was used to adapting to new environments. While Annabel was content working in a quiet book store, Miranda got a job at a cafe. Not just any cafe, a maid cafe.

Annabel tapped the counter she stood behind in frustration, trying to teach herself Japanese from scratch was border line impossible. Languages like French, Spanish, and English at least branched from a common language. Japanese had a completely different writing system and, depending on what kanji were used, could have words with similar characters meaning completely different things. An example would be how similar the words for "four" and "death" were. She quickly pushed her books and notes to the floor when the shop bell chimed. Annabel looked up to give the potential customer a shy smile, something drilled into her by her boss. The smile became less forced when she recognized the teen.

"Hi Kurama, nice to see you in a normal setting." Annabel says with a faint blush. She was fidgeting behind the counter, Kurama sighed. He couldn't blame the girl for being nervous, he did technically drug and abduct her. Any sane person would be wary! "It seems that you are adapting well Faust-san." Annabel winced. "You don't have to be so formal, I'm American after all. Besides I don't know your last time so it isn't like I can return the favor." She says sheepishly. "Anna, stop flirting and get him to buy something!" Hiromi bellowed, Annabel sighed. The woman was nice when you were a customer but a slave driver when it came to her employees. The only difference between her and Genkai was that Hiromi didn't put her through any physical training.

When Kurama brought a book from what she inferred was the mystery section she raised an eyebrow. "A mystery novel? Oddly fitting. Is it interesting?"She asks curiously. Not that I'd be able to read it at this rate. Annabel thought bitterly, unaware of the temperature around her lowering. Kurama was just about to point out that she could just read the summary when he saw the evidence of Annabel's studying on the floor. "You can't read it can you?" He was surprised when Annabel have him an irritated glare. "Of course not, I grew up with the English alphabet. It doesn't have Latin roots like the romance languages so it isn't easy to translate. Honestly, at this rate I'm tempted to bash my head against the wall." She grumbles, the temperature dropping even further. It seems that she tapped into her spiritual energy since they first met.

"I could teach you." Kurama offers, Annabel's eyes lit up. "Really? That would be great!" She says with a grin. "It must be torture to be in a book store and not be able to read any of the merchandise." Kurama comments, Annabel nodded in agreement as she rang the novel up. "Has Koenma gotten any closer to figuring out how to get us home?" Annabel asks, Kurama shook his head. "I didn't think that it would be that easy. I just hope that we can go home before Genkai's training kills us." Annabel says with a shiver.

* * *

Miranda was easily one of the most energetic girls at the cafe. She wore her uniform in a gothic lolita design, her European features drawing in a lot of customers. Much to her disappointment waitresses here didn't get tips so she had to wait for her first pay check to buy anything. There were also a few customers that were getting too hands on that would find themselves restrained by the cafe's owner. Mister Schmitt was an eccentric German immigrate that was very protective of his girls. He was a tall man with a bulky frame, his intimidating looks were a stark contrast to his friendly personality. He had offered the job to Miranda, remembering how difficult it was to find a job when he first arrived in Japan. Along with Miranda there were several other girls that worked for him as well that treated her like a little sister. She was more than happy to accept candy and small gifts. She chatted happily with the customers as a pair of crimson eyes watched her from afar.

It had been an entire week and they still haven't found the source of the spirit surge. For all they knew the girls arriving there was a complete coincidence. "Anything different on the one you're tailing Kurama?" Hiei asks the red head. He had a shopping bag in hand and looked thoughtful. "It seems that those two are receiving training from Genkai and Annabel is trying to teach herself how to read kanji. Honestly other than the temperature around her changing when she was upset she seems completely normal." Kurama reports, Hiei scowled. "All my target has been doing is flirting with customers. How long are we going to be on this assignment?" Hiei demands. "Until Koenma is certain that neither of them is a threat."


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Now we're getting to actual canon arcs, the Rando arc! And the entrance of the two lovable morons Yusuke and Kuwabara. They're almost too easy to write for since they act like an uncle of mine when he was a teen. *sweat drops***

 **Chapter 7**

* * *

 _I'm starting to like this Genkai lady, she's been getting my host off her lazy ass to actually train. She still refuses to spar with anyone and only seems to enjoy using a punching bag. She still hasn't found a way to physically manifest her energy yet, all she can do is sense energy so far. Maybe she needs to be thrown off a cliff a few more times._

* * *

"Genkai's been pretty busy lately. I think she'll be having the tournament soon. I feel sorry for whoever ends up being her disciple." Annabel comments as both girls carried their groceries. As promised they were pretty much on their own when it came to food, they would've been content living on instant noodles but Mister Schmitt gave Miranda some money to get "real" food. Now they had actual food but neither knew how to make food without throwing it in a microwave. "Aren't we technically her students though? You don't think she'll make us go through those trials again do you?" Miranda asks, Annabel shook her head. "We're not meant to be the ones to inherit her techniques. Besides you use fire and I'm still stuck with only my intuition." Annabel says, trying to hide her frustration. Miranda could set a forest ablaze and her own talents were being able to sense and track other spirit energies. Genkai had commented that maybe she needed some type of catalyst to physically manifest her spiritual powers.

They turned out to be right, in front of the temple entrance were dozens of fighters from around the world. "Looks like we can't make it through." Annabel says irritably, cursing their short statures. "Oh well, maybe we can watch." Miranda says with a sadistic grin, Annabel dead panned. "You just want to see all of them struggle through the forest like you did." Annabel says bluntly, Miranda grinned. "Misery does love company."

The two girls really stuck out since they were the only females there so it wasn't surprising that Yusuke and Kuwabara had spotted them. I don't think Rando is either of those girls. Though it would be interesting to see them fight. Yusuke thought as Kuwabara decided to approach them, hearts in his eyes. With a face like that he doesn't stand a chance. I better help the idiot. Yusuke thought, going to join them.

"Hello ladies! Are you here for Master Genkai's training too?" Kuwabara asks with what was supposed to be a handsome pose. All it really did was send a shiver down their spines. "Nope, we actually live here. The entrance is too crowded for us to pass through." Miranda complains. "So we're waiting like the rest of you." Annabel adds. "Wait, so she's training you guys?" "More like torturing us. We're basically charity cases." Annabel mutters, spotting Yusuke. Great, now we've officially met all the Spirit Detectives. Annabel thought with a groan. Still, she couldn't help but feel excited. She had been obsessed with the series they were from since she was a kid. "Hey Kuwabara, didn't think I'd see you here. I'm surprised your ugly face hasn't scared them off yet." Yusuke teased. Kuwabara bristled.

"At least I know how to be a gentleman! Isn't that right ladies?" Kuwabara asks with what was supposed to be a pretty boy expression. Please stop using that look, it's terrifying! Annabel and Miranda both thought in terror. "Dude, we've only been talking for a few minutes and we don't even know your name." Miranda comments as Kuwabara blushed bashfully. "Sorry, I'm Kuwabara and this is my rival Urameshi." Kuwabara introduced, Miranda grinned. "I'm Miranda and this is my friend Annabel. She's a wimp and has no sense of direction."

To everyone's surprise Annabel easily put her in a head lock. "I've watched wrestling since I was a kid so I know a few moves. I will admit that I am awful with directions." Annabel says sheepishly. "Cool! There's supposed to be an event in the Tokyo Dome soon, wanna go? I was going to bring my friend Keiko with me but she wasn't interested." "Hey, I thought you were going to give me the extra ticket!" Kuwabara protests. "Who will I bring? An ugly oaf or a cute girl?" Yusuke asks sarcastically. The two looked like they were about to brawl, Annabel needed to think of something quickly. "Actually I'm used to watching American wrestling. Are there any big differences?" She asks, both teens were more than happy to explain. Miranda sighed. Annabel just had to be the mediator and stop what would've been an entertaining fight. Her little brother was obsessed with WWE as well so she had an idea of what they were talking about. Eventually Genkai came out to greet them.

"First of all, before I begin I need you idiots to make a path so my tenants can actually get through!" Genkai yells as the nervous crowd awkwardly shuffled around to create a path. "Mira, Anna! No sticking around to give any advice for the tests. I want them all going in blind." Genkai orders. "I don't think there's any to give other than not to die. How about we make tea for the survivors?"Miranda jokes, Annabel sighs. "Sure, why not? It isn't like many of them will make it to the end." Annabel comments. A shiver ran down the spines of the contestants as Annabel grinned at their new acquaintances. "See you later Yusuke and Kuwabara!" She says cheerfully.


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: I actually had to reread some chapters to get the names of the other contestants, all I could remember was their backgrounds. *sweat drop* Heck, Kataka (the big guy dressed in chinese attire) got more attention in the Yu Yu Hakusho abridged series than the manga! Feel free to review and enjoy the chapter!**

 **Chapter 8**

* * *

 _Annabel seems to know those two delinquents from somewhere, interesting. If I had awoken earlier maybe I'd know more or perhaps digging through her memories would be a better option. If that doesn't alert her to my presence I don't know what will. I swear that girl can be very oblivious at times._

* * *

"You sounded awfully sure that we would see those two again. Spill." Miranda demands, Annabel nervously tapped her foot. "You know how I knew who Hiei and Kurama were? Well, in our world this place is a manga, one of my favorites to be honest." Annabel admits, Miranda grinned. "I remember now! So that Kurama guy was your anime crush you were telling me about." Annabel groaned. "Please don't mention it, he's way out of my league. On the upside he offered to help me with my Japanese." She comments, Miranda gave her a unnerving grin. "So that means that you know everything about those guys, right?" Annabel nodded hesitantly. "Then tell me everything about that Hiei guy!" "I can't do that, I'm pretty sure that's an invasion of privacy. Besides the guy doesn't need you stalking him!"

"Those twits actually went through with it." Genkai observed with a sigh. Both girls had found chairs and had the same amount of tea cups as there were people. "Come on Genkai, they could use a little break. It'd be a waste of tea if we didn't." Annabel reasons. "I was just kidding about the tea." Miranda muttered, sometimes she wondered if her friend could tell the difference between a statement and a joke. So all eight finalists found themselves sitting down and conversing with the other competitors. "How did you guys know how many of us would make it to the finals?" Yusuke asks suspiciously. "I guess you could say that I have a type of hyper intuition. I was able to sense how many people were with Genkai before you all arrived." Annabel explains. "Can you tell the difference between human energy and demon energy?" Yusuke asks, Annabel looked thoughtful. "Demon energy seems to have a darker feel to it, though the same could be said for humans with bad intentions. I could make a brief sweep."

She closed her eyes briefly as her energy spread out, brushing by all the contestants. Yusuke and Miranda shivered, it was like being touched by an arctic breeze. Her body tensed as she withdrew her energy. "There's two people that could be possible suspects. One of them definitely noticed my probing." She says nervously, shivering slightly. "Well that narrows it down, better than what I had." Yusuke admits. "What are you guys talking about?" Kuwabara asks. "Just talking about the competition." Yusuke says vaguely, Annabel and Miranda nodded in agreement. "You all passed the tests that we took so now we don't really know what will happen next. There are quite a few powerful people here." Annabel comments. "Ha! Nobody here stands a chance against me!" Kuwabara brags, Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't want to be Genkai's student." "Well if you're aiming to be her student then I refuse to lose to you!" Miranda and Annabel exchanged an exasperated look. "Boys." They dead panned.

After the brief intermission the competition resumed. Now there would be one-on-one fighting in the dark. "I see you two are already showing favoritism." Genkai states, Miranda looked at Annabel pointedly. "More like Anna did. One of them was asking about a demon." "I'm aware of their presence." Genkai stated as the girls exchanged a glance. "Aren't you going to do anything about it?"Miranda asks. "They're here for the competition and made it this far. I am not interfering." Genkai states. "What if it decides to kill all of its competition?" Annabel asks in concern. "Then it will be my next disciple." Genkai says bluntly.

* * *

"How are we supposed to watch the fights if they're all fighting in the dark? I can barely see my own hand in front of my face." Miranda grumbles. "Imagine actually having to fight in here." Annabel squeaked when something brushed by her. "Whoever did that, it wasn't funny!" Annabel snapped. "My apologies." It was the only contestant that was shorter than the girls and Shorin seemed harmless enough. Still, Annabel had a bad feeling about him. He was a little... too average. There was nothing that made him stick out from the crowd.

The first match was between Kuroda and Fuwan. Both were technically in the same profession so it was sure to be an interesting fight. "I wish there was some way to see it." Miranda mutters. "All we can do is listen to what's happening and observe the way their energy moves-" There was suddenly a blinding light and one of the spirit energies was completely extinguished. Annabel's face paled. "Well it looks like the knife guy is no longer in the running. I think his entire body was probably destroyed by that blast." Annabel says, grateful that she wouldn't have to go up against any of these people. The ninja walked out with only minor cuts, not even winded. "I wasn't expecting to use that so early in the competition." Fuwan states, holding a cut in his side. "Hey Anna, maybe you can do that." Miranda suggests, Annabel's brow furrowed. Why would she need to do that in the first place? "That looked just like my reigun." Yusuke comments. "Not exactly but the techniques are similar." The teens turned in the direction of the new voice. "Botan! What are you doing here?" Yusuke asks.

"I was worried so I came to check on you. That and Koenma wanted me to check on the girls." Botan explains. "Let me guess, there's still no progress in getting us home." Annabel states, Botan smiled apologetically. "Sorry, he's been more focused on a current case." For the second match it was Shorin against Kataka. Even though Shorin had a height disadvantage he still managed to kill Kataka. For a brief moment she could feel a dark energy emanate from the small monk and Kataka's life abruptly snuffed out. I think I know who the demon is now. Annabel thought gravely.


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: Just got back from a camping trip in North Carolina, sorry for the late update! For those that watched the edited anime, in the manga Yusuke smokes. He is a delinquent after all. Feel free to leave a review!**

 **Chapter 9**

* * *

 _If the experts here get defeated by the two teens here they don't deserve to be called the experts. Still, I've always been one to root for the under dog. And besides that assassin and the chubby guy who no one probably remembers no one else has died. I want to see blood and gore, dammit!_

* * *

"Yusuke you do know smoking is bad for you right? Not a good idea to do that before your match." Annabel comments, Yusuke shrugged. "Eh, I'll be fine." Miranda grinned mischievously and suddenly the cigarette had flames on the end of it, causing Yusuke to throw it away. "What the hell was that?" Yusuke demands, Miranda grinned. "Anna did warn you so I decided to give you some motivation." She says jovially, Annabel sighed. "Those flames could have burned his eyebrows off." Annabel says in disapproval, Miranda shrugged. "Hey you got to show off your ability, thought I'd show Yusuke mine. Think I can keep the flame lit until the end of the next match?" Miranda asks. "Why ask me when we both know you're going to do it anyways? Who's in the next match?" Annabel asks. "Match 3 will be Kuwabara versus Bura!" Genkai announced as Kuwabara and a man with an eye patch stepped forward. "Don't get killed out there Kuwabara!" Yusuke yells, Kuwabara scoffed. "With such pretty ladies watching me there's no way I'll lose!" Kuwabara says confidentially. Us being here has nothing to do with your skill moron. Miranda and Annabel thought.

When both competitors walked into the darkness felt that something was off. The entire time that Bura had been there she hadn't been able to sense the man. "I can't feel his energy. Looks like he'll just have to rely on sound and guessing." Annabel comments, all they could hear were Kuwabara's screams of pain. "Come on Kuwabara! I know you're used to being a punching bag but you need to kick this guy's ass!" Yusuke yells. "Shut up Urameshi! I'm working on it!" Kuwabara snapped from the darkness. "Let's hope that Kuwabara is part Hulk when he gets angry because it sounds like he's getting his ass kicked." Miranda says bluntly. "He'll be able to defeat his opponent." Annabel states, Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "And I suppose you figured that out with your intuition?" He asks wryly, Annabel shrugs. "It hasn't been wrong yet."

The spectators were all able to see a sword made of orange energy suddenly appear as they heard the clashing of two swords. "Is that a sword? That looks pretty bad ass." Miranda says enviously, Annabel smiled smugly. Kuwabara returned to the group a little roughed up but was soon declared the winner. "Awesome job Kuwabara, nice save." Miranda compliments, Kuwabara blushed. "There's one more match coming up. Good luck Yusuke." Annabel says with a smile. "Wanna tell me if I win this match or not?" Yusuke asks, half serious half joking. "Where would the fun be in that? And is that cigarette still burning? How is it not burned out yet?" Annabel asks, spotting the dim orange glow. Miranda grinned. "I'm just that good." Miranda says confidentially. Well at least now there's a logical reason for why it burned for so long. Annabel thought.

This time neither opponent hid their spirit energy so they were all able to sense the two spirit energies clash as the two fought. Whenever Yusuke's energy wavered a tiny bit Annabel could tell that he had just been hit. Bura had landed a few hits while it seemed that Yusuke kept missing. The teen growled in frustration as he tried to find the mask wearing man in the darkness. Relying on sound he eventually located the man and punched his mask, Bura countered with a knee to the abdomen. Bura's arm then began to glow as he concentrated his power into one arm, close lining Yusuke. As the fight dragged on Yusuke's power lowered more and more. The only upside that Annabel could possibly think of was that it was harder to sense him than it was earlier. The orange glow that had been stationary on the ground at the beginning of the match was now moving around, Annabel grinned. "That sly dog. He has a brain after all." Annabel comments, both Kuwabara and Miranda looked at her in confusion. "Is your intuition telling you something again?" Miranda asks, Annabel shook her head. "Look at the orange glow. Notice anything strange about it?" She asks, Miranda looked confused for a second before she figured it out. "Of course! Good thing it stayed lit huh?"

After a failed arm bar on Yusuke's part he decided to take out his ace, the reigun. "That's no use if you can't aim it at me moron!" Bura exclaims, attacking Yusuke from the side. "Good thing I won't miss then." Yusuke says with a grin, hitting Bura in the mask with enough force to shatter it. "H-How did you know where I was?" Bura asks, shocked. "Just look down at your belt. I planted that on you when you threw me." As the man looked down he saw the lit cigarette and collapsed in exhaustion. "Winner, Urameshi!" Yusuke walked back with a satisfied smirk on his face. "Great job Yusuke!" Miranda says cheerfully. "You and your weird ideas." Kuwabara grumbled. "You both are pretty good at improvising." Annabel states. "It was all because of my cigarette and pick pocketing ability that I won." Yusuke says smugly. Miranda looked at the delinquent in awe, Annabel shook her head in disappointment and Botan hit him in the back of the head. "That's not something you should be proud of!" Botan exclaims.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **A/N: This story is now officially in the double digits! Whoo! The reviews seem to have died off though. I will see this story through to the end! Hopefully, depends on if my muse disappears again. *sweat drops* Feel free to review!**

* * *

 _Out of all the people that entered this tournament all that's left are two delinquents, a ninja and a monk. The ninja has the same type of spirit energy technique as that kid in the green and has had time to rest. If that punk wants to win this he'll either have to be a skilled strategist or crazy lucky. He doesn't look that intelligent so he'd have to be a very lucky bastard._

* * *

"Now we're going into the next round. The first match will be between Urameshi and Fuwan!" Genkai announces, both girls began to protest. "That isn't fair, that bald guy had a chance to rest!" Miranda exclaims, Genkai narrowed her eyes. "Do you girls want me to double your current training?" She asks, both teens looked terrified. Flashbacks of being forced to climb the side of a mountain with their bare hands and weights hanging off of them flashed in their minds. And she was planning to double that?! "N-no ma'am!" They both squeaked in unison.

The area that they went to was a swamp with various ponds littered around the place. After being in the dark dojo it was nice to be in the light again, even the air seemed refreshing! "So what kind of training does she put you through anyways?" Kuwabara asks, Annabel looked at him solemnly. "Just hope that you never have to find out. If the training wasn't after going to work we wouldn't be able to function for the rest of the day." She states, remembering how she and Miranda had been so exhausted that they fell asleep face first into their dinner. They both woke up feeling like they dipped their faces in lava and screamed at such a high decibel she swore only dogs could hear them! Kuwabara just looked at the girls in confusion as they shivered.

Yusuke was out matched, the ninja Fuwan obviously had more training when it came to spirit energy and was from a profession that involved killing people. At least when Yusuke defeated his earlier opponent it was due to his own resourcefulness but the way Fuwan went down was embarrassing. The ninja threw homing shuriken and Yusuke looked like he was going to kamikaze into the man to catch him in the explosion. One minute Yusuke was in front of Fuwan, the next he was gone. Fuwan let out a brief curse before his own weapons exploded on him. Kuwabara and Miranda were trying to find out where the teen was while Annabel was rolling on the ground in laughter. "Oh my god, he's got to be the luckiest kid that's ever lived!" She laughed as Yusuke's extended arm in the bog made the teens next to her scream.

Since Fuwan hadn't been Rando that meant the short monk was the demon in disguise. And Kuwabara was going to be the demon's next opponent. The thought of the delinquent that had no experience with demons fighting one that killed off 99 masters of their respective fighting techniques was terrifying. "That short kid is bad news." Annabel states, Kuwabara blinked. He could've sworn that her eyes changed another color for a brief moment. "Don't worry, I can take that squirt no problem!" Kuwabara says with a confident grin. Annabel looked like she wanted to smack some sense into the teen but kept her fists at her sides. Sometimes lessons had to be learned the hard way but Annabel still had a bad feeling about this fight.

At first it seemed like Kuwabara was kicking his opponent around like a soccer ball and that he might actually stand a chance. Then Shorin began to gather his energy and created fire balls, throwing them at Kuwabara. Kuwabara was able to counter the technique by using his spirit sword as a make shift baseball bat to hit them back at the monk. When the fireballs didn't work the monk began chanting, only Kuwabara was able to hear the quiet words. As Kuwabara charged at the monk his body began to shrink until the monk was a giant compared to the now toy sized Kuwabara. It didn't matter whatever Kuwabara did in this fight, his attacks would probably just be an annoyance. Shorin had picked up the teen and squeezed his body, making the delinquent scream in pain. As Shorin began breaking Kuwabara's bones like a sadistic child with a doll Annabel was literally seeing red. Yusuke had charged at the demon in disguise while Annabel silently stewed in her own anger. She wasn't one for violence or conflicts but she had the urge to tear the monk's head off. Botan noted the dark energy before Genkai snapped the girl out of it with a blow to the head. "You two are only here to observe." The old woman snapped.

Annabel grumbled under her breath, still furious, as Yusuke brought Kuwabara over to receive medical attention. When his body returned to it's original state the boy's breathing was shallow and his body pale. The sockets on both his arms were shattered and his left leg and the left side of his hip bone were broken. "T-That kid is a monster!" Miranda cried as Genkai and Botan treated the boy. Annabel shook her head, looking emotionally torn. "I tried warning you idiot. If your sixth sense is anything like mine you should've know better!" Annabel says bitterly. "If Yusuke doesn't defeat this guy I'll kick his ass myself." She growls.


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: I now bring you all more bromance between Kuwabara and Yusuke and part 2 of the Rando case! Feel free to review!**

 **Chapter 11**

* * *

 _What did these girls think the demon's fighting style was going to be like? They're all ruthless and not to be taken lightly. A dead demon is better than one that could attack at any moment. Even those two that are working for Koenma aren't to be trusted._

* * *

Yusuke stood to his feet and quickly closed the gap between himself and Rando, punching him in the face. "How dare you hurt Kuwabara!" Yusuke roared, stunning the fallen demon. His human body shook as he struggled to stand, only to be punched in the gut and being sent back to the ground. He looked at Yusuke in awe. "Your score from before was only 156 but now you've gone over 200. Very impressive." He comments, Miranda deadpanned. "Are you fighting or trying to flirt with the guy? This is not a pairing I'll support." She says bluntly as Annabel blushed in embarrassment. "Now is not the time to be thinking of yaoi! Please try taking this more seriously!"

"Wind Slasher Typhoon!" The air around Rando sharpened, turning into a vortex of blades. It headed straight for Yusuke and he proceeded to charge through it, using his arms to absorb most of the damage. He jumped into the air and crossed both of his hands in a scissor-like fashion, hitting Rando's neck. He appeared to be knocked out and Yusuke laid on the ground, trying to catch his breath. "Well that was anti-climatic. Wasn't that guy supposed to be a demon?" Miranda asks, Annabel sighed. Yusuke got back onto his feet shakily and joined the others. "Great job Yusuke. Now Kuwabara can rest in peace!" Botan exclaims, Annabel deadpanned. "He's not dead, just knocked out." Annabel comments. "I may not have supported that pairing but I have no problem with Yusuke and Kuwabara's bromance." Miranda says with a wink. "I can't take you anywhere." Annabel mutters.

"Boy, what are you doing over here? Your fight isn't over yet." Genkai states as Rando began transforming into his demon form. "I hate to admit this but for an evil guy he has good hair. I wonder what he uses?" Annabel wonders, everyone deadpanned. "And you were the one telling me to be serious!" Miranda retorts. Yusuke sent multiple punches at Rando, the demon didn't even flinch. "You've run out of reiki haven't you? Well then, this will be much easier." He says, spitting out a material that was similar to spider silk. "First it was fireballs, then wind and now he's using String Shot. Just pick something and stick with it already!" Miranda says in annoyance. "He is a master of 99 techniques. And you're making him sound like a pokemon." Annabel says bluntly, Miranda snorted. "Like you haven't treated your own cousin like that." Miranda states, Annabel shrugged. "It's funny."

The silk wrapped around Yusuke and Rando swung the punk around, hitting him against the ground several times. Yusuke's body was bloody and bruised, still unable to move. "Come on Yusuke, pull a hulk!" Miranda encouraged. "Miranda, you're not helping." Annabel says as Rando dragged Yusuke on the ground, eventually hanging him from a tree branch. "What's the big idea now?" Yusuke demands as he hung over a body of water. "I just want you to meet my friends." Rando says with a smirk, chanting something in Chinese. Bubbles began rising to the surface as large, monstrous fish broke to the surface. They had multiple eyes and devoured the body of a minor demon that Rando had thrown in.

Rando had shot the branch that Yusuke was hanging from with a reiki gun that was Yusuke's trademark, sending Yusuke to what looked like certain doom. "Yusuke!" The girls shouted as his body landed with a large splash, none of them noticing the spirit energy that had just exited Kuwabara's body. Otherwise the girls really would have thought that the fallen teen was dead!

The girls waited in anticipation as a sudden spike in spirit energy blasted away all of the fish demons. "Idiot only needed a little push." Kuwabara muttered with a smirk. "Heh, it looks like he used all of his energy to escape. Come out come out!" Rando taunts, pointing his finger at the bog. A bubble came up and Rando aimed at that spot. "There you are!" He exclaims, not noticing the presence behind him. "Nope, wrong place." Yusuke says with a grin, punching Rando with the last of his strength. Come on, just sink down! Yusuke mentally begged, feeling drained. Of course Rando climbed out of the bog, returning Yusuke's punch. This time Yusuke truly was out of strength and just waited for Rando to finish him off. "He's obviously lost Genkai, we need to stop this!" Miranda exclaims, Annabel kept watching silently. Rando began the same chant that he had used on Kuwabara, planning to put the teen through the same torture. But instead of Yusuke shrinking the demon was surprised to see himself becoming smaller!

"What? How could this be?" Rando exclaims as everyone looked on in confusion. Annabel decided to take a stab at explaining. "The technique probably relies on going through the ears and to the brain. He probably didn't hear the chant." She says, Genkai nodded in agreement. "Usually if a chant fails it rebounds to the chanter." Genkai explains. "But we didn't see him plug his ears or anything. How did that happen?" Miranda wonders aloud. That was answered as Yusuke pulled out a clump of algae from his ears. "I'll just reverse the chant and return to normal!" Rando declares as Yusuke shakily got up on her feet. "You really think I'll wait for you to finish that chant? I might not have any strength left but all I need is gravity." Yusuke says with a grin as his body fell to the ground, hitting the demon in the face with his elbow. "Huh, the People's Elbow is effective after all." Annabel comments, Miranda deadpanned. "Of course you would make a wrestling comment. What about the fact that demon was under the impression that he was a villain in DBZ?" Miranda asks.

"Well, looks like I finally won!" Yusuke says with a grin as Genkai looked at both fighters. "The winner and inheritor of my technique will be Yusuke Urameshi!" Genkai announces, all three girls cheered. Botan had tied up Rando with his own string, carrying him by his hair. "Should've put him in some sort of jar. Then we could've given him a good shake." Annabel grumbles, earning a smack to the back of the head. "Stop being passive aggressive and be aggressive aggressive!" Miranda exclaims. "Great! Now I can go to the WWF Royal Rumble!" Yusuke says excitedly. "What are you talking about? You'll be training with me, that was the reward for this competition." Genkai says as Yusuke visibly deflated. "Looks like you'll be joining our training. Welcome to hell!" Miranda says cheerfully as Yusuke passed out.


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: This is the beginning of introducing some OC's other than the main characters. I'll try to fill up some plot holes the original story might have had with all the supernatural occurrences. I had a feeling that after their first meeting that Keiko and Botan would bond over the stupidity of the boys around them. Feel free to review and thanks to the people currently following the story. Now on with the chapter!**

 **Chapter 12**

* * *

 _This Yusuke boy has to have the luck of the devil. He survived the tournament but now he has to train under Genkai. This should be interesting._

* * *

"Hey! Why aren't those two doing the same exercises I am?" Yusuke demands, using his reiki to avoid landing on a spike. Unlike Genkai's energy his wasn't as controlled and he used more than necessary. "We both have jobs. If we did that every morning we wouldn't be able to move." Miranda states, already dressed in her maid outfit. Annabel nodded in agreement, her backpack slung over her shoulder. "And my boss would kill me if I fell asleep while working. She's Genkai's sister." Annabel says, as if that was the only explanation she needed. In a way it was. "Don't worry, we'll bring some snacks back with us after our shifts are over!" Miranda says a bit too jovially.

When Annabel arrived at work she was ecstatic to see Kurama at one of the tables. "Hey Kurama!" She greeted with a bright grin, unusual for her since she hadn't had any coffee that morning. "Good afternoon Annabel. You look to be in high spirits today." Kurama comments as Annabel set her bag down. "It's hard not to be. Genkai has someone else to torture with her training and I got some free tickets to the WWF Royal Rumble." She says cheerfully, Kurama raised an eyebrow. "She has a new student?" Kurama asks, Annabel nodded. "Yep, except Yusuke is going to be the one to actually inherit her technique. She's only taught me and Miranda the basics." Annabel comments. This is an interesting development. Kurama thought as the young woman took out a few books. "So is the offer to help me read still on the table? I can teach you more believable English than the formal kind you learn in school." Annabel offers. Just the thought of hearing the polite and proper Kurama using American slang made her want to burst into laughter. Kurama raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like a fair exchange."

As Miranda made her usual rounds she saw two new customers, Botan and a girl that looked to be around Yusuke's age. "Welcome to Loli Pop! You work for Koenma right?" Miranda asks the girl with blue hair, the brunette looked at her companion in confusion. "Who's Koenma?" Keiko asks, Botan chuckled nervously. "That's mine and Yusuke's boss. We're private investigators." Botan says nervously. "I'm Miranda Caro and I'll be your server. Just follow me." Miranda says, leading them to a cozy table. "So Miranda, do both of you have jobs?" Botan asks curiously, Miranda nodded. "Yep! I work in this cafe and Annabel works in a book store. So any specific reason you're here?" She asks, setting down two menus for the girls. Keiko blushed in embarrassment. "Keiko here was worrying about Yusuke. He hasn't been in school for a while." Botan says, Miranda blinked. "That's gotta be dragging his grades down. Want us to bring him the work he's missing? I might not be book smart but I'm sure Anna can help out."

Keiko learned that Miranda and her friend Annabel, who the American assured her that she would meet eventually, were all training under the same master. Since Yusuke was going to take her mantel he would be training with her until he learned all of her techniques. "On the upside, learning martial arts takes a lot of discipline. Besides, this isn't exactly a relaxing vacation so you don't have to worry about him slacking off. I don't think I caught either of your names." Miranda says sheepishly. "I'm Botan and this is Keiko, Yusuke's girlfriend." "I am not his girlfriend!" Keiko huffs as Miranda and Botan chuckled. "Well from what I've seen you'll definitely be a good influence on him. You won't have to worry about us hitting on him or anything." Miranda says as Keiko unconsciously sighed in relief. That was good to know, but what was up with Yusuke getting all these female friends all of a sudden?

As Kurama began teaching her the basic characters they heard a crash from the storage room. "I'm alright!" A male's voice shouted, Annabel sighed. "That would be Katsuhide again, he always finds a way to knock something over with those bulky shoulders of his. I'll go see if he needs help." She says, going to the back of the store. She opened the door to the storage room and saw several hard back books covering her coworker. His spiky dark brown hair was the only thing visible as Annabel eventually dug him out. "Thanks, I never thought death by books was actually plausible." The teen chuckled, surprised at how easily Annabel was able to pull him to his feet. "That's why you need to be aware of where your arms are. I'll just tell my friend that I need to help clean up or Hiromi will have our heads." Katsuhide's eyes glistened as he looked at Annabel in awe, unnerving her. "You are one of the coolest people ever!" He exclaims, nearly crushing her in a hug. Why do people insist on trying to kill me with affection? Annabel wondered as she tried to squirm out of his grip.

Annabel apologized for the shortened lesson since she had to help her coworker but Kurama assured her that it wasn't a problem. She was working after all. "Maybe we could work on this when I'm not on the clock?" Annabel suggests. "It'll be my pleasure." He says politely, Annabel's blush not escaping his notice. He had to admit that she was adorable with how trusting she was. "Tell Koenma that we still don't know what sent us here and that we aren't suddenly going to turn into a threat. I swear he's gotta be paranoid to have you and Hiei watching us watching us every day." Annabel grumbles, stunning Kurama. Annabel only smiled. "Just because I haven't had my spirit energy physically manifest itself yet doesn't mean that I can't recognize your energy signatures. Have a good day!" Back in the storage room Kazuhide let out a frustrated sigh, he hated having to act so clumsy! But it was a sure way to get the attention of the surprisingly job oriented Annabel. He briefly wondered why she was being monitored by Kurama, one of Koenma's newest assets. Annabel walked back into the room and smiled. "Now let's get this all sorted out."

Katsuhide and Annabel eventually got the stock organized once again and went back to the floor. Business was usually slow so Annabel wondered how the shop was still going. Hiromi only gave the young woman an eerie smile. "This isn't the only business that I own." Now she couldn't get the image of the woman running some sort of underground business, maybe having a hand in the yakuza. Knowing she was related to Genkai she wasn't going to put anything past the old woman! "Stop making that face Anna, your head looks like it's going to explode." Hiromi says in amusement, going to double check the tender for the day. "That woman scares me sometimes." Katsuhide whispered. "I can hear you brat and that comment is coming out of your paycheck!"


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: I may have gone a little line crazy on this one. *sweat drops* Anyone else think that the demon bugs trashing the city in the Saint Beast Arc would be good practice for the zombie apocalypse?**

 **Chapter 13**

* * *

 _There is something sinister in the air, even my host has picked up on it. This is gonna be good._

* * *

After several weeks of Genkai's harsh training Yusuke finally was able to take a break. Not only had he been training but Annabel had been pressuring him to do his school work. For such a meek looking girl when it came to school subjects she became like a drill sergeant! Miranda later explained that she used his school work as an excuse to practice reading kanji she learned in her lessons with Kurama. It was hilarious seeing the shocked expression on her face when they started on Japanese history, something that she apparently hadn't had any knowledge about. She sheepishly explained that she was more versed in American and European history and that her classes hadn't stayed on Japan for very long. The girls had also become friends with Keiko, much to his dismay.

As Annabel and Miranda walked through the town Annabel couldn't squash down the bad feeling that she had. "Were there always this many bugs around?" Annabel asks, slapping at one that tried landing on her arm. "I don't think so. You think it's something demon related?" Miranda asks, Annabel was silent for a moment before her face paled. "We need to find Botan, she'll know what's going on. If this is what I think it is we'll need to stick together!" She exclaims, running off. "Hey Annabel, wait up!"

After avoiding some people, whose skin was an eerie blue, they eventually found Botan. She was wearing casual clothes and was swinging a baseball bat and spray aerosol at the bugs the girls had spotted. "Botan!" The grim reaper looked up at the girls and looked relieved. "Thank goodness! I need all the help I can get." She says, hitting one of the blue men with a baseball bat. "Do the bugs have something to do with all these blue people? Is this a zombie apocalypse?" Miranda asks, her eyes gleaming in excitement. Annabel face palmed. "More like a mass possession." She says, slapping away another bug. "Right, these insects are from the demon plane. They bite humans with inner darkness and make their hosts violent. Until Yusuke can take out the source of these things we have to keep the possessed humans from causing chaos."

* * *

When Yusuke called Botan he was surprised to see Annabel and Miranda in the background behind her. "Me and the girls ran into Keiko." Botan quickly explains as he heard a loud whoop of excitement in the background. "Take that you zombie bastards!" Miranda exclaims. "For the love of- I keep telling you they're possessed, not undead! I swear if another one of these guys tries groping me again I'll aim for their balls!" Annabel growls, getting annoyed by the possessed males. "Please tell me you're closer to defeating the Saint Beasts." Botan pleads, hitting a blue human with a baseball bat. "This is perfect practice for the apocalypse. Now all we need is a gun otaku!" Miranda exclaims,Annabel could be heard face palming in the background. "What we need is an exorcist and a lot of bug bombs. What did I just say about being grabby?" Annabel shrieks as they heard a pained wheeze. "Ouch, his descendants will probably feel that kick. If he's even able to have kids anymore." Miranda comments. "You we please stop cracking jokes and focus more on survival?!"

"We just defeated one. Did Annabel just-" Botan looked at Yusuke and shrugged. "Apparently she was having a bad week and this attack was the last straw. I wouldn't suggest upsetting her at the moment." Botan states, had the boys seen the girl's face as she fought off the pseudo zombies they would've seen a sadistic grin of glee. Although Botan wondered why her eye color had changed. Maybe it was connected to her powers? "Botan look out!" Yusuke shouts, seeing a blue human trying to sneak up on the reaper. They were soon taken out by a vicious right hook, Botan sighed in relief. "Thanks Annabel." "You can thank me later. Now we've gotta run!" Botan looked at Yusuke and gave him an optimistic grin. "We'll call you when we're safe. Good luck!"

"I expected Miranda to be kicking ass but it's nice to know Anna can hold her own. She never sparred with us so I didn't know if she could fight." Yusuke says in obvious relief. Kurama was silent for a moment, he was aware that there was more to the girl that what was shown on the surface. Whenever he or Hiei would watch her from a distance she had always been able to sense them. When the girl could physically manifest her spirit energy she would be a force to be reckoned with. Hiei had watched the entire exchange with amusement, he'd seen the flashes of repressed anger. Unlike her friend that usually joked around Annabel could shape up to be an actual challenge. That is, if she ever dropped the pacifism act. After all Yusuke did offhandedly remark that the girl was a fellow wrestling fan and could perfectly execute what he called a "choke hold" before they got any training from Genkai. The reason Hiei knew that Annabel could sense them both was that, while she was working, she would always go to the window and give a small wave.

* * *

"Is it me, or does it seem like these things are following us?" Annabel asks, kicking a man in the stomach. The temple was too far away so now they were heading to the school building to barricade themselves in one of the rooms. Keiko let out a terrified shriek as a teachers brandished scissors at her and she slapped the man in the face. "I just struck a teacher." Keiko says, stunned. Miranda grinned. "I wish I could bitch slap one of my old teachers. Anyone you wanna slap Anna?" She asks, Annabel glared. "At the moment? Probably you." She grumbles as even more pseudo zombies chased after them. "How the hell do these things know where we're going anyways?" Annabel wonders aloud, Miranda shrugged. "They're all being controlled by the Saint Beasts. I wouldn't be surprised if they had something to watch what happens in the human world." Botan comments, swinging her bat yet again.

A feeling of dread washed over the reaper as the pseudo zombies all began to target Keiko instead of all four girls like they had earlier. It was either because she was the weakest of them all or they knew her emotional connection with Yusuke. They all ran into a room, one for storage to their surprise, and locked the door behind him. The aggressive humans started banging on the door as the girls stopped to catch their breath.


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N: Anyone know what excuse Botan used for attack of the blue people without a supernatural explanation? Keiko isn't an idiot so it had to be one hell of a story! Feel free to review and enjoy the chapter!**

 **Chapter 14**

* * *

 _This situation is starting to get more dire and it looks like a scene from a zombie flick. My host is not going to die like some cornered rat, not so soon after I made my influence known!_

* * *

"This is not the way I wanted to die. I wanted to die peacefully in my sleep." Annabel pants, pausing to look at her hands. The skin on her knuckles had busted open and they were covered in blood, she groaned. Miranda noticed this as well and whistled. "That's gonna sting like a bitch when you put alcohol on it. Why can't I use my flames again?" Miranda asks. "They're still humans, we can't kill them. Although I think I might have destroyed some guy's testicles." Annabel says, feeling a bit guilty. "The insects take over humans that have leanings to darkness. They only take away the inhibitions that would stop them from doing these acts." Botan explains, Miranda looked confused. "Then why did they try biting Anna?" Miranda asks, Annabel smiled shakily. "Haven't you ever heard it's always the quiet ones? I have a lot of pent up aggression I actively suppress." Annabel admits.

"That was... interesting. But why were those things going for the elementary schools and day cares? Unless all kids are born evil, which I'd totally buy into." Miranda says, thinking about her bratty little brother. "They're easier targets." Annabel states, seething over the fact since she had several younger cousins around that age. "Dude, you went ballistic when you saw them targeting kids. We are totally sparring after all this is over!" Miranda exclaims, Annabel rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the "normal" girl of the bunch. "Are you alright Keiko?" She asks, the brunette nodded shakily. "What's going on here?" She asks, the three girls looked to each other in panic. How were the supposed to explain the supernatural event they were currently going through?! "How about we explain when we escape from this alive." Annabel says, eyeing the door nervously.

"Alright girls, we need to find some weapons to defend ourselves." Botan says, immediately taking charge. Annabel went looking without a word and Miranda gave the reaper a salute. "Aye, aye sir!" There wasn't much to work with other than mops, buckets and brooms. And using any of the chemicals could be deadly. "Thanks you guys, this would be way scarier if I was going through this alone." Keiko admits. "Hey, us girls gotta stick together. No one deserves to be abandoned during the zombie apocalypse!" At this point Annabel had been about to retort when a hand broke through the door, the girls all gave a startled scream.

* * *

Yusuke felt his anger towards Suzaku increase when he saw the pseudo zombies break through the door. That brief moment of fear, however, was overcome when something amazing happened. Ice reinforced the door, buying the girls even more time. Suzaku looked at the girls, stunned. "How did they-" Around the same time Annabel collapsed to the ground, her entire body trembling. "Genkai was saying that she needed something to make her spirit energy fully awaken. Looks like you were good for something after all." Yusuke says smugly, crying out in pain as he was once again electrocuted.

"Anna! Man you look like you're freezing but at least you tapped into your energy." Miranda comments, Annabel groaned. "Ice, it just had to be something cold." She mutters, rubbing her arms in an attempt to regain some of her body heat. The ice began to crack as the pseudo zombies pounded at the make shift shield. "Did those bugs give these guys super strength? Yusuke and the others better hurry."

I can't die yet! Yusuke thought, thinking about all the people that were depending on his success. The girls and everyone that got dragged into this suicide mission. With a determined yell he broke out of the grip of two Suzaku clones with a strong burst of energy. "What? You shouldn't have enough strength to break free!" The original Suzaku exclaims, Yusuke's fists glowed with energy. "It's time to end this Suzaku!" Suzaku and his copies went to use their lightning, only to find they had no access to it. Yusuke released all of his spirit energy at once. "Spirit Shotgun!" The attack struck all the copies and Yusuke fell to the ground, his body unable to take the strain.

"Dammit, my body refuses to listen to me." He suddenly heard screams and looked at the mirror that allowed Suzaku to look into the human world. The pseudo zombies broke through the barrier and one had struck Botan in the head, Keiko sobbing as she held her fallen friend in her arms. Another one held up a weakened Annabel by the neck as Miranda attempted to get her friend free. "I still need to get that damn flute." Yusuke thought aloud, crawling towards it. He cried out in pain as the original Suzaku stepped down on his hand.

"Looks like you got all of them but the original. You may have a lot of strength but you have poor accuracy." Suzaku says, kicking Yusuke in the side. As Yusuke somehow found the power to stand up Suzaku once again split himself into seven copies. "Yusuke! Help!" He heard Keiko cry. "Hurry up, if I die I'll haunt you for all eternity!" Miranda screamed. Even Annabel had briefly loosened the hold on her neck long enough to say something. She slowly pried the hand away and coughed. "Kick his ass." How she even knew that Yusuke was fighting was unknown to the spirit detective but he somehow found yet another reserve of strength to carry on. He hit Suzaku with everything he had, nearly draining himself of all his life energy.

When Hiei, Kuwabara and Kurama entered the room Yusuke was on the verge of death. "He's used up most of his energy. At this rate he'll die." Kurama states as Hiei looked at the mirror curiously. The girls were now safe, albeit a bit shaken. They had knocked out the now normal men, Botan starting to regain consciousness and Annabel rubbing her throat and clearing it uncomfortably. "Well, we've survived." Miranda says after a moment of silence. "Yeah, other than being traumatized is everyone physically alright?" Annabel asks. "I might have a slight concussion but other than that I'm fine." Botan says. "I'm alright, a little tired but I guess that's to be expected. How about you Anna?" Miranda asks, looking at her friend in concern. "My throat hurts a little bit and I'm freezing but I should be fine after a little first aid. I'm going home to drink some tea and pray this was all some horrible dream." Annabel admits as the rest of the girls nodded in agreement.

"I know this all was probably some sort of mass hysteria but you want to report your teacher to the police anyways?" Miranda asks, grinning mischievously. "That's horrible!" Keiko exclaims, Annabel sighed. "That's just her type of humor. We should probably go to Genkai's place, hopefully she'll patch us up."

Kurama and Hiei had the same idea, by the time they arrived with Yusuke and Kuwabara Botan was already bringing Keiko back to her home. There were bandages around Annabel's neck and hands, to the demon's surprise both girls tackled them after they set down the teens. "You're alright, thank god!" Annabel exclaims before fussing over Kurama's wound. Hiei was currently trying to remove his fan girl from his arm. "We're relieved to see you both are alright as well." Kurama says, trying not to wince in pain. "Are you alright Hiei?" Annabel asks, finally going to remove Miranda from his arm. "I'm fine." He states but Annabel noticed his movement was a little... off. "Really?" Without warning she pushed up one of his sleeves and winced at what she saw. "Jesus, were you near dry ice? These are ice burns." She says, it looked like she wasn't the only one that had a run in with ice. The major difference was that she wasn't on the receiving end.

* * *

Annabel had gone outside to reflect on everything that happened that day, her fists clenched. It had been years since her explosive temper had made its way to the surface. The last time it showed its ugly head she ended up hurting someone in her family, it was the main reason that she never wanted to spar with Yusuke or Miranda. She had only been a child when she used a wrestling move she saw on television and tested it out on an uncle, knocking them out in a sleeper hold. Her hands clenched even tighter, they still weren't any closer to getting home. She pulled out her phone, which was now useless, and scrolled down her pictures. There was one of her with her uncles and little cousins, all smiling at the camera. It was a good one since her uncle Andrew rarely smiled in pictures. "I'll find a way back, somehow." She resolved, unaware of the inhuman eyes watching her.


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N: Some of the aftermath of the Saint Beast Arc, I mean come on! Keiko and Botan couldn't have been the only ones attacked by those Makai bugs! As always, hope you guys enjoy the new chapter and feel free to review!**

 **Chapter 15**

* * *

 _While fighting off controlled humans without killing them is troublesome it was able to awaken my host's more primal fighting instincts. She would never admit it but after experiencing the thrill of combat she's gotten a taste for it. She's already shown herself to be a quick study, and with the demons she's befriended there are bound to be more fights in the future._

* * *

Annabel wanted to laugh when she heard the official explanation of the violent attacks the day before. Apparently the news said that it was a psychotic break caused by some sort of gas. She couldn't blame them, if they knew it was a case of mass possession then the Catholic church would never have a moment of piece. Unfortunately she couldn't laugh without hurting her throat. When she walked into Book Charming Katsuhide immediately noticed the bandages around her hands and neck. "Are you alright? I thought that all the attacks were only in the seedier parts of town!" He exclaims. "My friends and I were attacked but someone stepped in to help us out. It looks worse than it actually is." She comments, glad that she escaped without any broken bones. The bruises would fade and her skin would heal. The rest of the day Katsuhide kept babying Annabel, no matter how many times she insisted that she could do everything herself.

The wave of violent incidents was the main topic in the Loli Pop! maid cafe. Aiya, a tiny girl, was apparently from a family that practiced martial arts and broke the arm of her attacker. Hotaru always carried a taser and electrocuted her attacker. "What about you Miranda? It seems like most of the girls here were attacked." Hotaru says, pushing up her reading glasses. "I'm not a martial arts master but I did throw a couple punches. My friend Anna ended up kicking some guy in the balls, with steel toed boots." All the male patrons in the cafe winced. "I could give you and your friend a couple self defense lessons if you want. You too Hotaru-chan." The small brunette offers, Miranda shook her head. "I think our current lessons are enough." She says, remembering how Genkai decided to up their training after seeing their injuries. She had pushed them and their powers so much that Annabel almost got hypothermia after using her ice powers too much. Apparently her body wasn't accustomed to the extreme cold. Miranda couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

Koenma looked over the report that Botan had sent in for the "Saint Beast Incident." Both girls had a fair amount of fighting experience, it was to be expected living with a martial arts master. What had concerned him was the energy spike that coincided with the awakening of Annabel's powers. It was almost identical to the energy that was responsible for bringing the girls to their world. After a bit of research he learned that, theoretically, it would take a large amount of energy to travel between worlds. He was tempted to enlist both girls as additional spirit detectives to help out Yusuke. While Kurama and Hiei were required by spirit world law to work for him it wouldn't hurt to have more willing employees. On his desk was another case that needed their attention. A yuki onna named Yukina had been abducted by the Black Organization to produce tears. The matter had to be handled carefully since she was the sister of Hiei. The estate was huge so it would be difficult to find the girl without a strong sixth sense, something that Yusuke sorely lacked.

After their shift ended Katsuhide looked a bit uneasy, nervously wringing his hands. "Hey Annabel?" He asks, Annabel looked up from her studying materials to acknowledge her coworker. "Yeah?" She asks. "I was wondering if, maybe, you wanted to go out for lunch?" Annabel froze for a moment, trying to process the question. "Are you... asking me out on a date?" She asks, her voice going up an octave. Not just at the prospect of actually being asked for a date but the suddenly dark aura that she felt coming from Hiei. "It doesn't have to be a date! It can just be an outing between friends!" He says quickly, suddenly feeling like his life was in danger. One of her babysitters apparently wasn't keen on the idea of her dating, he decided to put that information into the back of his mind. Her stomach growled and she grinned sheepishly. "Food sounds good right about now." She admits.

With all the supernatural crap they had to deal with yesterday Annabel felt relieved to do something normal for once. Hiei's presence wasn't as strong as it had been earlier so Katsuhide was blissfully unaware of their silent tail. Didn't the demon have anything better to do? Annabel wondered as they walked into a yakiniku. She's never barbecued her own food before but it sounded like it could be fun. There was a platter of raw meat and hot grills to cook them to the temperature they wanted. "This is pretty cool." Annabel says as the meat sizzled on the grill. Honestly she hadn't been that happy to be using a heating element since she learned how to light a camp fire and grill food. Then again the experiences were very similar. "You've never been here before?" Kutsuhide asks, Annabel smiled sheepishly. "I've been so busy working and studying that I really haven't had the chance to look around." She admits. Between training, working and studying the rest of her free time was usually dedicated to sleeping. "Well that's no good, a hard working girl like you should have some time to relax." Katsuhide comments.

Meanwhile Hiei was irritated that he had to watch over this... date. He wouldn't have bothered if he hadn't realized the male giving her less than innocent looks when Annabel wasn't looking. It ended without incident but he still felt uneasy until Annabel and Katsuhide parted their ways. "You do know you can go into the store every once in a while, right? Kurama does it all the time." Annabel comments, easily locating the demon. "Hn." Annabel just shrugged, not minding Hiei being antisocial. "Do you ever do anything other than watch over us? I know Kurama's a student at a private school around here." She says, trying to start a conversation. "For someone against violence you really are drawn towards danger." Hiei states, Annabel gave him a confused look. "Oh, you talking about going out to eat with Katsuhide? I knew you were there the entire time. Was there any reason for me to worry?" She asks. "You need to stop trusting people so easily." He states before disappearing, Annabel shook her head. "He could've just said he was concerned. Wouldn't want anyone to think he actually has anything resembling emotions."


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N: Rereading the Yukina Arc, I just remembered that Toguro's henchmen didn't stand a chance. -_-" Also with Annabel's sensitivity to spirit energy she could be considered one of Koenma's "dogs." *crickets chirping* Alright, no one's ever accused me of being a comedian. Enjoy the new chapter!**

 **Chapter 16**

* * *

 _I never thought that I'd see the day that the fire demon would show any type of concern for my host. I suppose she is less annoying than Miranda, sometimes I wonder why she keeps the girl around. Then again there are plenty of things that she does that I don't see a reason behind. Humans are needlessly complicated._

* * *

When Hiei actually showed up at Book Charming Annabel was hoping that it was just a social visit, instead of Koenma asking for a favor. No such luck. "I'm not a spirit detective! What the hell would he need me for?" She demands. "I don't know and quite frankly I don't care. I trust you can find Yusuke on your own. Don't die." Hiei comments before disappearing. Annabel sighed. It looked like she was clocking out of work early, thankfully Hiromi was aware of who Koenma was. "Guess I'll be meeting up with Yusuke then. Hiromi I need to clock out early!" She shouts, not knowing where the woman was currently. The woman stalked into the room and glared. "That's Kyoda-san while you're working Faust. If it's spirit world business then it can't be helped. Tell that damn toddler to inform you a day in advance so this doesn't happen again." She barked. "Y-Yes ma'am!"

Yusuke ended up being at Kuwabara's house, in said teenager's room with Botan and Kuwabara. The boys were shocked to see her there, Botan must not have told them she'd be involved. "What are you doing here?" Yusuke exclaims, Annabel shrugged. "I'm as confused as you are. Apparently Koenma needs me for something. Have you played the VHS yet?" Annabel asks, sitting on the teen's mattress. Oh my god there are two girls in my room! Kuwabara thought with a blush. "You alright Kuwabara?" Annabel asks in concern, not really caring that she was in a male's room. She used to hang out in her friend Jason's room all the time when they were teens and had mostly male relatives. "We haven't watched it yet. You have good timing." Yusuke answered. "Hey, I wanna watch too." Kuwabara says, sitting down a noticeable distance away from Annabel. "Kuwabara you don't have to sit that far away, it's not like I have anything contagious." Annabel deadpans.

When Koenma showed up on the screen Kuwabara was stunned. "That's the guy you're working for? The prince of the spirit world? He's just a toddler!" Kuwabara exclaims. "I had the same reaction when I first saw him. This is probably the first time Anna has seen him, right?" Annabel sweat dropped. "Not exactly, we've met before. He was the one to help me and Miranda find a place to stay." She explains. "This tape is encrypted so that only you and Annabel will be able to properly view its contents. Yes Annabel, I have included you in this mission as well. Your tracking and fighting skills have been a great help from what Botan has reported." Annabel glared at the reaper. "Why did you have to drag me into this?" She demands, wanting nothing more than to go back to work. "Sorry Anna, you're a surprisingly good fighter." Botan says as her glare became darker, the reaper squeaked. "Your mission is to save a young girl. She's an ice maiden imprisoned by Tarukane Kanzo has been using her to produce pearls." Koenma says, showing the picture of a short, ugly man. Annabel gagged at the sight of him. "That's a face not even a mother could love."

When the video showed a picture of the girl, Yukina, Kuwabara stared blankly at the screen for a moment. "Uh, Kuwa-" Kuwabara suddenly shot up from his seat, ready to storm Honetdale himself. "What's up with him?" Yusuke wonders, Annabel rolled her eyes. "Looks like love at first sight. Anyone want to tell him the video isn't over yet?" She asks, Yusuke and Botan just shrugged. "Koenma continued. "This mission is a rather important one, after all Yukina is the younger sister of Hiei." Koenma states. "That heartless guy has a sister?" Yusuke exclaims. "Everyone has family. I wonder why Koenma didn't tell Hiei about this." Annabel wonders aloud. "Let's go catch that idiot before he gets himself into trouble."

The trio made their way to the estate, two delinquents ready for a fight while Annabel let them take the lead. "This guy has a lot of demons on his property but they're much weaker than Kurama and Hiei. There's one approaching us and the others are trying to conceal themselves to ambush us." Annabel states. "Man Anna, you're better than that demon radar Botan gave me when I was just staring out as a detective." Yusuke comments as Annabel's face flushed. She didn't feel nervous or uneasy, both boys could easily over power the demons she sensed. A lone man with spiky brown hair, wearing a suit, stopped them in their tracks. "This is a private estate, so kindly leave." "We're lost, we can't leave." Was Kuwabara's excuse. Yusuke was straight to the point. "We want to get to Tarukane's place." Annabel face palmed. "Sorry, I'm afraid all of you will be returning home as corpses." The man says, morphing into his demon form. Annabel gagged. "Jesus, are Kurama and Hiei the only attractive demons around?" She complains. Back in a certain cafe a goth sneezed, nearly spilling tea on a customer.

The boys made quick work of the demon and twelve more appeared. Most of them went to target Annabel, the weakest looking of the three. Annabel felt her temper flare as her eyes turned violet. "You all think I'm weak, huh? Just because I'm not obsessed with violence doesn't mean I can't kick your asses!" She gathered her energy into her fist and sent it out in a wave, freezing the demons that were attacking. "Man, remind me not to piss her off." Yusuke mutters, Annabel shrugged. "Don't be a jerk and it won't happen. I can feel three more spirit signatures but none of them feel like they're Yukina. What about you Kuwabara?" She asks. "Same here, I guess that means we all get to take one on." Kuwabara comments. "Koenma so owes me for this." Annabel comments.

The three easily made their way through the human guards, the boys charged at the men while Annabel would shield them from any bullets. "They're too fast!" One of the guards exclaims. "And none of our bullets are making it through that girl's shield!" Another one pointed out. "Let me handle this." A feminine demon says, making their way through the crowd. "I am one of the Sankishu, Miyuki." She says before going in for a strike. To the teen's surprise she went straight for Annabel, aiming for the girl's jugular. "Look out!" Annabel easily dodged the strike and caught the demon in the side with a crescent kick. "I guess this makes her my opponent. I was hoping not to fight." Annabel complains. "How about a fight, just between us girls?" Miyuki suggests with a dark grin. I know that we're intruders but why does this woman have a vendetta against me?! Annabel wondered, dodging a barrage of punches thrown at her.

There was something strange about Miyuki, Annabel realized. She was used to sparring against Genkai and Miyuki moved differently. If she was truly a woman then why was her center of gravity different? Miyuki's body was also different, it wasn't as naturally flexible as a female's. That was when it dawned on her. "You're not actually a woman are you? That's why you singled me out!" Annabel exclaims.


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N: I... I actually have an ending for this story. I'll finally have a completed story! *cries tears of joy* Granted it'll probably have a sequel but I think 20 chapters is a good number. Anywho, as always, enjoy the story and feel free to leave a review!**

 **Chapter 17**

* * *

 _This is much better than staying in that dusty book store! Finally, a chance to flex our muscles so to speak. Hopefully against more challenging opponents we don't have to hold back on. Normal humans are too weak to handle our full power._

* * *

Miyuki bristled. "What? How can you tell?" Kuwabara demands, Miyuki looked like a pretty lady! "Her blows have more physical strength than a female would have and her center of gravity is different. If Miyuki was really a woman it would be her hips." Annabel explains. "I have a right to be whoever I want to be! My soul is that of a girl!" Miyuki snarled, Annabel lifted her hands in a non-offensive gesture. "I'm not going to judge, a friend of mine had a sex change and they were happy. But that doesn't mean that you should hold animosity towards anyone that's naturally a female." She says, Miyuki scoffed. "Well at least I don't look like a child." Annabel looked at the demon with a darkened expression. "What did you just say?" She asks, her voice lowering an octave. "It's true. You have a baby face and no figure to-" Miyuki let out a pained gasp as Annabel punched the demon in the stomach. "I am 19, not a child dammit! And anyone that says otherwise will have their face meeting my fist. Is that understood?" Miyuki coughed up blood before thankfully drifting off into unconsciousness. Annabel huffed, if there were two things she hated it was her short stature and how she didn't look her age. The boys decided to stay a respectful distance away from her, noting not to mention that they were under the impression she was their age. The two delinquents flashed peace signs at the camera as Annabel rolled her eyes at their antics.

"So... what would you guys have done if I wasn't there to fight her?" Annabel asks curiously. Yusuke shrugged. "I'm an equal opportunity ass kicker." Yusuke says proudly. "I don't know whether to cry over the death of chivalry or to be proud you see females as equals. I know transitioning is probably not the easiest thing to do in a sex change but she didn't have to be an ass and take it out on others." Annabel states. "I still would have checked to see if she was a female though." Yusuke says with a grin, Annabel punched him in the shoulder. "You pervert! If you went through with that I would've kicked your ass!" As they were walking Annabel and Kuwabara suddenly felt another signature in the hall, barely avoiding being slashed. "I'm Innaki, your second opponent." The short demon with claws states before disappearing under a cloak. He circled around the group, the only thing they were able to register was the sound of his foot steps.

Well this is mildly annoying. Annabel thought as Innaki slashed Yusuke's shoulder and Annabel's arms as she blocked his attack with her forearms. "Dammit, we need a plan!" She exclaims. "We'll think of one later! Let's go!" Yusuke shouts as they all rounded a corner. As Innaki rounded the corner he was surprised to see Yusuke waiting for him and unleashing his spirit shot gun. "I might not be able to shoot a damn with that technique but when I hit everything I don't need to aim." Yusuke says proudly as the teens high-five. Looks like they had a strategy after all. Annabel thought as the boys taunted the camera. For two rivals they had perfect fighting chemistry. And she wasn't going to get in the way of that, less fighting for her then.

The last demon hadn't even had a chance to introduce himself. Even though he was the biggest of their three opponents and more physically imposing he was defeated when the boys defeated him in a flurry of punches. "I actually feel a little sorry for this one." Annabel mutters, nudging him with her foot. "That should be all of them. This was much easier than I thought." Yusuke says as they began to search the rest of the estate. "Wait! I feel an energy that isn't evil! That must be her!" They all skidded to a stop. "Kuwabara's right, I can sense her too. But why would they be moving her from an area that obviously was hiding her presence from us?" Annabel wondered, earning a glare from Kuwabara. "Hush, I'm trying to communicate with her! Now what's her name?" Kuwabara asks. "Yukina." Yusuke and Annabel answered in unison. "Which you would've known if you waited another minute before running off like an idiot. How far did you think you'd get without bus fare?" Yusuke asks, Kuwabara's face turned a dark red before he focused on communicating with the damsel. When did Kuwabara learn telepathy? Maybe I could try that out. Annabel thought to herself as Kuwabara grinned. "She's in the basement! After we get her we'll be home free!"

They made their way to what looked like a small arena, a window above them showing Yukina, Taruka and one of his guards. "You all have guts." Younger Toguro, the taller of the brothers, states. He was practically a walking mass of muscles and he gave of a calm, yet deadly, aura. Annabel's face paled and her blood ran cold. "I did not sign up to be killed by the Toguro brothers!" She squeaked, backing away slowly. "Who?" Kuwabara and Yusuke looked at her in confusion. Earlier she seemed confident as she fought, now her personality pulled a 180. "Interesting. And just where did you hear of us human?" The elder, a short man with wavy hair, asks in amusement. Annabel stayed tight lipped, spreading out her energy so she could react quickly if they decided to attack. She wasn't suicidal, even if the adrenaline rush was making her more confident than usual. "Anna, if you know something about these guys now would be a good time to tell us!" Yusuke shouts. "The short one is the older brother and can shape shift. The younger one can increase his muscle mass." Annabel says, eyeing the window. If she was lucky the boys would distract the men long enough for her to somehow break through the window and rescue the ice demon.

The elder brother transformed into a sword and the younger increased his muscle mass, just like Annabel said. Both boys charged at the duo and Kuwabara was sent flying into the wall with a single punch. "Kuwabara!" Yusuke and Annabel shouted as they both went to check on the teen. He could barely stand and he coughed up blood, no doubt there was internal bleeding. Annabel's fight or flight instincts were warring internally. She knew that she wouldn't stand a chance against them but she couldn't just watch as her friends got killed. Her indecision made her energy fluctuate as Yusuke fired a shot at Toguro, only for his brother to block the blast by shifting into a shield. He punched Yusuke as well and began an onslaught of punches. Yusuke's body slammed into the wall as Annabel's small frame shook, the air around her turning frigid. When she saw the horrified expression of Yukina as she was forced to watch, she felt something in her snap as her eyes turned violet.


	19. Chapter 18

**A/N: You know those little snippets in italics? Yeah, that might have been another character observing from the outside. The main reason I wanted to rewrite the original to be honest. Probably should have made that more organic. *sweat drops* Just so there's no confusion:**

 _ **Bold Italic: telepathy/mindscape**_

 **Bold: flashback**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter everyone!**

* * *

 **Chapter 18**

With almost inhuman speed she barreled into Toguro, both hands alight with energy. He instinctively blocked with his brother's shield form, seeing ice crystals form on his arms. "Well this is an interesting development." He says as the girl created distance between herself and the brothers. "We're not going out with a whimper." She says with an eerily deep voice, her eyes almost predatory. Her goal was to give the boys a chance to recover since they had more fighting experience than her. **_Now this will be an interesting fight. Give him hell._** Annabel was caught off guard by the voice in her head that suddenly made itself known, allowing Toguro to land a punch on her. Like her friends she was sent flying into the wall as well. There was a large crater and Annabel could tell that a few of her ribs had broken, her vision starting to blur. No, I have to buy them more time! If only I was strong enough to help them! She thought, tears falling as she struggled to stand to her feet. **_Do you really mean that kid? Are you willing to risk your life to save two boys you'll eventually leave behind?_** The voice asks. Of course she was! _**Very well, you may have access to your power. All of it**. _ The frigid air around Annabel increased tenfold, making her entire body go numb. Ice covered her body almost like a makeshift armor and she charged at him once again, her energy lashing out wildly in a whip-like fashion.

Kuwabara and Yusuke slowly made their way back to their feet as Annabel attacked Toguro with the ferocity of a wild animal. Yusuke remembered what Annabel had told him about her ice powers recently.

 **"From what I can understand my body can only withstand a certain temperature so I really can't use it to its full potential. If I did not only would I get frost bite and risk the loss of my limbs I might freeze my organs too. That's why I don't use it often. I could build a tolerance but it'll take time to develop. So if I start turning blue that's probably a sign that I should stop." Annabel says jokingly.**

"Are you trying to kill yourself? Stop it!" Yusuke shouts as Annabel ignored him, bringing up both her arms to block a punch from Toguro. She skidded to where the boys were, her entire body shaking uncontrollably. Her arms were bloody and even the blood was starting to crystalize. Every breath she took was visible as a vapor, her eyes only focused on defending her friends with her life. She couldn't focus on her pain, she had to keep moving. Seeing both females in different kinds of pain Kuwabara's energy spiked, drawing Annabel's attention. "You! You're nothing but a monster!" Kuwabara shouts, Annabel smirked. "It's about time you got your second wind." She says as her eyes faded back to their natural brown color and she collapsed to the ground, her body curling up on itself as it was hit with a wave of pain and trying to retain what little warmth it had left. "Am I supposed to be insulted?" Toguro asks, an eyebrow raised. Kuwabara scoffed."It's not you that I want, it's the fat bastard behind you!" Kuwabara yells, charging at the man. There was nothing Annabel could do as she watched helplessly from the ground as Kuwabara was knocked back yet again. "We need to take this guy out, quick. Anna isn't looking too good."

"Yusuke I need you to hit me with one of your blasts." Kuwabara states. "Are you crazy? If I do that you'll be leaving your skin behind!" Yusuke hissed. "I prefer death over a cowardly defeat. Besides you were the one saying that Annabel didn't look too good. We at least owe it to her." Yusuke nodded as the two got into position. Kuwabara charged at Toguro and the spirit gun struck him from behind, speeding him up and giving him more momentum. Kuwabara's sword pierced through Toguro, finally finishing off the man. Tarukane looked at the scene in shock, not only were his champions defeated but he was now bankrupt! "Sakashita, prepare the helicopter! I can still salvage something from this, as long as Yukina is still in my possession-" He looked on in horror as his servant was butchered right in front of him. "She won't be staying here any longer. You hid her with wards, it was no wonder I couldn't find her myself. It's a good thing you lifted them." Hiei says, seething in anger. "H-Help!" The man screamed, trying to scramble away. Hiei knocked the man out with a single punch to the face. "Thank you. Who are you?" Yukina asks. "I'm a friend of the people down there." Hiei says, pointing to the two boys now fussing over Annabel's unconscious form.

"Oh no! Are they alright?" Yukina exclaimed, running down to meet them. Hiei headed down to the trio as well, pleasantly surprised by the backbone Annabel had shown. As Yukina ran over to the trio, Yusuke caught sight of Hiei. "Hiei can you do us a favor? Anna here over did it with her powers and needs something to warm her up. She's been shaking like this for a while." Yusuke says, the girl in question already unconscious. Her pale skin was tinted blue and he could tell that her body was below the usual temperature a human body could handle. They were lucky that her body was still shivering, that meant it was still attempting to regain any heat it lost and wasn't shutting down. She had assisted in saving his sister, it was the least he could do. "Very well." He says, picking her up and holding the girl to his chest to let his natural body heat warm her up. She gave a hum of approval, shifting in his arms to nuzzle into his chest. Her cold energy withdrew itself, sensing he wasn't a threat. Her brows furrowed, her dreams troubled.

 ** _Annabel was in an unfamiliar environment, it looked like a forest. There were trees with varying colors, a brook and what looked like a foreboding cave. "Where am I?" She wonders aloud. Although she was lost she took in the peaceful atmosphere, a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere back where the boys were. "I see you've found your way here. There's hope for you yet." A deep voice says from within the cave. Annabel froze, she heard that voice before. "Who are you? And where am I?" She demands. The voice chuckled, a deep rumble that made a shiver run up Annabel's spine. "Within the confines of your mind of course. I must say it's a very relaxing place. I wasn't expecting to hear from you for a few more years. I am Densetsu, the reason that you're in this world."_**

 ** _"You-You're the one that took me away from my family! How dare you!" Annabel shouts, trembling with rage. "Leaving you in your world would have left you to such a boring life. Here you have a chance to become a hero, to fight alongside people you only dreamed of meeting. If anything you should be thanking me." Densetsu states. "Come on out so I can show my thanks." Annabel says, balling up her fists. Densetsu chuckled. "You actually think you can take me on, how cute." The ground began to shake as something emerged from the cave, something big. It was a large western sized dragon with powder blue scales and violet eyes. It was ten times the size of the woman gazing upon it. "There's a large dragon just wandering around in my head? What the hell?!"_**

Annabel woke up to something warm and instinctively nuzzled into the heat source. She heard snickering and hesitantly opened her eyes. She was lying down with her face pressed into some sort of black fabric. She turned in the direction of the faces to see Yusuke and Kuwabara both bandaged and giving her impish grins. At first she was just glad to see that they were alright, then she wondered what she was lying down on. "You're finally awake." Hiei comments, Annabel yelped and rolled off his lap, landing face first on the floor. Kuwabara and Yusuke were howling with laughter. "It isn't funny!" She fumed, glaring at them.

Why didn't they tell her she was using a homicidal demon as an electric blanket? She looked around in confusion, seeing they were now at Genkai's temple. "Sorry but your face was hilarious!" Yusuke laughs, at least Kuwabara tried to smother his down. "That's it, Kuwabara is now my favorite." Annabel states, Yusuke's jaw dropped. "What do you mean favorite? Favorite what?" Yusuke demands. "Favorite idiot." She says bluntly, not awake enough to be polite. Hiei smirked. "Glad to see someone agrees with me."

Annabel thought back to what happened before she passed out. She quickly sat up, wincing in pain as she did so. "What happened to the Toguro brothers?" She demands. "We defeated them, just like the rest of the demons." Yusuke says, confused on why Annabel was concerned. They were defeated, the fight was over and done with. "I know that but are they still alive? Please tell me they're dead!" Annabel begged, starting to hyperventilate. "Whoa! Calm down. Why does it matter?" Yusuke asks, Annabel let out a shaky breath as she wound herself down. "The Toguro brothers love a challenge. If they're alive it won't be the last time we'll see them." She says gravely. Yusuke didn't mind since he loves a challenge, Annabel was a different story. When she fought it was for a cause, not for the hell of it. Yusuke grins. "Sounds fun." "Sounds suicidal." Annabel shot back.


	20. Chapter 19

**A/N: Well my entire family got hit with the cold that's been going around and I'm just getting over it. So now I've got an overly clingy baby sister out to destroy my laptop. *sweat drops* As always, feel free to review and enjoy the chapter!**

 **Bold: flash back**

 _ **Italic Bold: telepathy/mindscape**_

* * *

 **Chapter 19**

Annabel's paranoia was not unfounded when she sensed Toguro in their town. She had been working when she suddenly fell to the ground, hyperventilating. Katsuhide immediately went to get their employer to inform the woman of the panic attack. Hiromi had stormed over and, after shooing away the worried boy, started using her energy to calm down the girl. If Katsuhide had stuck around too long he likely would have been hit with Annabel's ice powers. "Calm down and tell me what you've sensed. You've never reacted like this to those two demons that watch you." She says as Annabel gave the woman a wary smile. "Toguro is here." Hiromi froze before her expression became neutral. "Then I suppose there is much for us to worry about my child." She states.

Yusuke had been shaken as well, since his control of reiki wasn't as advanced as Annabel's he had been the first person Toguro found. Miranda looked worried for her shaken friends. "Come on, this Toguro guy can't be that bad." Miranda says, trying to lighten their spirits. "He bent a steel girder with his bare hands." Yusuke choked, Annabel winced. "And he could sent all of us flying with a single punch. He was taking it easy on us and let us win!" Annabel snapped. "But what did he want?" Miranda asks, Yusuke looked troubled. "He said that he was inviting us to some Black Tournament. Hiei, Kurama, Kuwabara and Anna included." Yusuke says. **_You need a master of your own child. Otherwise Toguro will tear out your spine._** Densetsu comments as Annabel shivered. It was still weird having a voice in her head but with everything around her she'd be surprised if she hadn't been driven insane. Annabel attempted to center herself and turned her attention to Yusuke. "Can I borrow that compact of yours? After rescuing Yukina your boss owes me one. I refuse to be killed so easily." She states, her eyes briefly flickering violet.

Koenma hadn't expected Annabel to get in contact with him, wanting to meet in person. If she wanted an update on their situation she could've just asked over the link. She followed behind Botan and glared at the Prince. "The case you had me work on gained the attention of Toguro." With that Koenma's face paled. Annabel continued. "Out of everyone I have the least experience with using my energy offensively. I need someone to help me adjust to my ice powers. You indirectly caused this so you owe me one." She says bluntly. Koenma hesitated, there was only one demon that he could think of that had the ability to use ice. The main problem was that he was currently dead and in hell with the rest of the Saint Beasts. "Are you sure that Genkai can't take you on?" He asks weakly, Annabel shook her head. "She'll be too occupied training Yusuke, he is her main disciple after all." Koenma sighed. "I'll see if I can work something out."

"You want us all to train one of your dogs in return for a shorter sentence." Suzaku states, wondering why the hell the prince would trust four demons to train a human. "I hate to admit it but Seiryuu in particular will be instrumental in training her powers. You won't take it easy on her, you're the only ones I could think of with such short notice." Koenma comments, catching both Suzaku and Seiryuu's interest. A female and an ice manipulator at that. It must have been one of the females guarding that Keiko girl. "And if they die during their training?" Suzaku asks, Koenma shrugged. "Then it won't affect your sentence at all. For each month that Anna trains under you, 30 years will be taken off your sentence. In total you'll reduce your sentence by 60 years. Do you accept?" Koenma asks, Suzaku smirked. Having a new spirit detective to torture and having their solid bodies back? "You have yourself a deal."

When Koenma handed Annabel a pendant she looked at it in confusion. "Okay, what is this supposed to be for?" Annabel asks warily. "That pendant had the ability to change the appearance of the wearer. I won't be the first to say that your current appearance is too... meek." Annabel winced, it wasn't her fault that she looked younger than she actually was! "But Toguro asked for me specifically, won't he be suspicious if someone else appeared in my place?" Annabel asks, Koenma shook his head. "It will affect your appearance, not your reiki. Although it will use some to activate the pendant you'll have the same energy signature." Koenma patiently explains. Annabel still looked skeptical. "Are there any draw backs to this?" She asks warily.

"The pendant will limit the amount of energy you can use all at once but due to the harmful effects your energy has you probably won't use too much." Annabel nodded, not wanting to feel as cold as she did when fighting Toguro. There was only so much energy her body could use before it started shutting down. "Can I at least choose my appearance?" "Just try it on and stop asking so many questions!" Koenma snapped, already feeling the start of a migraine. Annabel rolled her eyes but did as she was told. Did he really expect her to be like Yusuke and not ask questions? She could be oblivious at times but she wasn't an idiot. Still, other than a slight power drain and an output limit it didn't seem like it would have any adverse effects on her. She placed the pendant around her neck and felt a slight drain of power as well as a foreign energy surrounding her body, giving off a blinding light.

"Why am I a male?! And is that... oh hell why couldn't this have been an illusion?" A now baritone voice wails, the light around the figure beginning to dim. In Annabel's place was a male with wavy blond hair and grey-blue eyes. He was half a foot taller and Annabel was horrified to find he had a male anatomy. "This is... unexpected." Koenma says, having only expected the pendant to give her the appearance of a demon. Annabel's eyes narrowed in fury, Koenma gulped. "Well, now you're more intimidating." He squeaks, Annabel scowled. "You're lucky I'm against child abuse. I didn't sign up for a sex change!"

When Annabel went to tell Hiromi of her long absence the woman gave her a stern glare before sighing in exasperation. "Of course you would get involved in the Dark Tournament. For a woman that claims to want a normal life you sure end up in a lot of troublesome situations." The woman states, Annabel hung her head in depression. "It isn't like I go looking for it like Yusuke! Believe me, if I could just continue working for this shop until I found a way back home I'd be thrilled." Annabel says, fiddling with her shirt sleeves. "Just be careful my child, those demons won't show any mercy to anyone they perceive as weak." Hiromi says. **_That means that you can't afford to freeze up or both of us are done for. I told you that once you started that you couldn't go back. You made your choice, now follow through with it._** Densetsu says bluntly.

As Annabel left the building Katsuhide watched the young woman, taking out a communication device. "Hey, Satomi? Tell the boss that I found what we're looking for, unfortunately I haven't had a chance to isolate her." Another voice spoke at the other end as Katsuhide grinned. "Yes, she's the one. The power she has is the final piece we need to begin the final phase."


	21. Chapter 20

**A/N: Well, this was supposed to be the last chapter. Then my writing muse hit me with the force of a semi-truck and decided that this needed an epilogue. *facepalms* On an unrelated note the lock on my door broke so I was stuck in my room until my stepdad dismantled it. Hope you like the chapter and, as always, feel free to review!**

 **Bold: Flashback**

 _ **Italic Bold: Telepathy/Mindscape**_

* * *

 **Chapter 20**

"What, you're leaving?!" Miranda exclaims. "Shouldn't you be here to train like me and Yusuke?" She asks, Annabel shook her head. "Genkai needs to focus on Yusuke, he's the one inheriting her technique. I need to train with someone that has a similar ability to my own." Annabel says as Miranda pulled her into a suffocating hug. "And just what am I supposed to do? With your luck some serial killer will stumble across you training and attack you!" Miranda wails. "I trust Koenma and my instincts enough to believe that I'll survive the training. Just don't tell the boys anything about me training in the Makai, not that they'll be in that much contact with us. They'll be busy training as well." Annabel says thoughtfully. "Then what am I supposed to do when you're gone?" Miranda asks moodily. "Socialize with people your age? Or you could try not fawning over Hiei's looks and ask to train with him. He's a fire demon so he'll be experienced in using it." Miranda's eye shone gleefully. "Why didn't you mention this before?!" Mostly because if you tried training with him earlier before Genkai put us through hell he would've accidentally killed you. Annabel thought.

When Annabel went through the portal she wasn't expecting to arrive at the outskirts of the Saint Beast's castle. Dozens of small, cloaked demons were starting to appear. Annabel shivered, she didn't need to feel their energy to know that these things wanted her dead. "Meat!" They all shrieked, lunging at the woman. _**Tch, they're just small fry. Flare enough energy and they'll scatter.**_ Densetsu says, sounding bored. "Why couldn't that portal have led into the castle?!" Annabel snarled, her eyes turning violet. Her usually calm aura became sharp as she created ice claws for herself and charged at them with reckless abandon. "Ice Claw!" She yelled, slashing through several of the demons. An inhuman gleam in her eyes made the lesser demons feel a chill go up their spine. "Well? Didn't you want to kill me or was that before you found out I'm not easy prey?"

The pattern of being attacked by lesser demons would repeated as she actually entered the castle. She narrowly avoided being crushed by the falling ceiling, only to be attacked by Byakko's pets. She knew that she was being tested but it didn't mean that she wasn't pissed off. She had been hoping to actually speak to her teachers before they tried killing her. It was common courtesy! To make matters worse none of her teachers seemed to think she was worthy enough to meet at the gate! They were probably thinking that she would be killed by one of their traps. As her anger began to build Densetsu seemed to growl in approval. **_Looks like those idiots haven't heard the saying about a woman scorned. Let's hunt them down, one by one._** Densetsu purrs, it's influence making Annabel's eyes darken. "Time to begin our game of hide and seek." She says with a smirk. If there was one thing that she confident in, it was being able to track down spirit signatures.

* * *

"Hey Mira, where's Anna?" Yusuke asks as they both were subjected to Genkai's harsh training methods. Miranda looked troubled. "She didn't say where she was going, only that she asked Koenma to find someone to train her. She had a really solemn look before she left." She says, Yusuke looked baffled. "Who would the brat know that could train her? I don't think I know anyone that uses ice." From afar Hiei watched like a hawk, it was only a matter of time before the brunette went off on her own. And with the aggressive behavior she'd been showing recently he was looking forward to what she'd be like after training.

Kuwabara sighed in frustration. They were going into a tournament with demons and he didn't know how to prepare for it! Yusuke had master Genkai for training and Hiei refused to train with a human so he was out. He may have horrible grades but he wasn't stupid, he needed someone to advance his training. The only person he could think of with enough patience and smarts to properly help him would be Kurama. Now what school did the red head go to again?

Well, it seems like the girls took the whole demons existing thing rather well. Botan thought after speaking to Keiko and Yusuke's mother. Both brunettes had demanded to know what exactly his job was and they refused to be led away from the subject. Keiko was worried, as expected, but Atsuko seemed unfazed. "So he'll be kicking demon ass then. Doesn't surprise me after winning a fight with death." The woman says. Botan was starting to see where Yusuke got his attitude from.

* * *

"You know, it isn't polite to leave a guest at the door." Annabel says, her voice echoing through the hall. She couldn't see the Saint Beast but she could certainly sense him. It must have been Genbu, the one that looked like a turtle golem. An eerie chuckle echoed through the confined space as Annabel froze, going into a defensive stance. A tail with a sharp barb manifested from the ground and Annabel jumped away from it. "What? You're too cowardly to take on a human in a fair fight? No wonder you're known as the lackey of the group." Annabel taunted, trying to draw out the demon.

As expected Genbu had gone for a more direct approach and Annabel had formed her ice claws, cutting through solid stone. Genbu soon found himself without arms, Annabel narrowed violet eyes at the demon. "Now, are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?" She jumped back as Genbu's detached arms were manipulated to fly straight towards her. The look on Genbu's face was a mixture of rage and malicious glee. It made Annabel wary but this guy had nothing on the younger Toguro. "Looks like I have to teach demons that I'm not someone to underestimate." She says grimly, letting loose the spirit energy she kept a tight rein on. The temperature began dropping significantly.

Suzaku watched as the woman took on their weakest member, she had obviously had training since the last time he'd seen her on the monitor. Her attacks were aggressive and had a surprising amount of power behind them for someone of her stature. Eventually she seemed to give in to her frustration as the entire corridor froze over, freezing even Genbu in his tracks. "Now, are you going to tell me where they are or do I have to hunt them down myself?" Annabel demands, leaving Genbu's head unfrozen. Genbu only cursed, further irritating the woman. "Alright, let's start with an easier question. Are there anymore traps that I need to be worried about?" She demands, Genbu gave a fanged grin. "You'll just have to find out for yourself." He says, enjoying the murderous glare that the human sent him.

"I wasn't expecting my training to turn into a Legend of Zelda quest, I do not have the time for this." Annabel grumbles as she went further into the castle. It was interesting to see that Genbu actually had a solid body instead of just being a spirit. Was it that way with the others as well? She doubted that Genbu would have been a proper teacher anyways, he could just regenerate until his opponent tired out and strike. His only real weakness was the stone in between his legs, honestly any girl facing the monster would've instinctively kicked there. As she went further into the castle she felt the air begin to heat up. As she reached the next room she saw that it was filled with lava and there was only a few pillars to hop across to get to the other side. "Oh come on! What is this, a video game?! How the hell do you install a lava pit anyways?" She demands, unaware of the demon laughing at her annoyed grimace. And to think she hadn't even come across the other surprises that the Saint Beasts had in place. By the time she'd reach them she's try to kill them on the spot.

"I wonder what it says about my life that I'm not surprised to be facing off against actual zombies." Annabel says as the green, humanoid husks all went to mob her. Once again she created a pair of claws, the weapons were actually growing on her. After she made her way through the swarm of zombies she'd make it to the tower, where at least two of the energies were at the top. But weren't there three more of them? She was starting to become exhausted, her adrenaline wearing off. She didn't think she'd be able to make it to them at this rate. With one final explosion of her ice powers she froze everything around her, passing out. Two figures looked down at the human, observing the carnage she created. "What do you think Seiryuu? Is this human worthy enough to receive training?" Suzaku asks his silent companion, the blue demon looked down at the girl. He analyzed the unconscious female and noted how her body was shivering in her sleep, trying to retain heat. Almost like the coldness of her own spirit energy was too much for her fragile human body to handle. Still, it would be something interesting to look into. "It's certainly more impressive than that other human that forced their way in. It will certainly be an interesting two months." Seiryuu says gruffly. Suzaku smirked.

When Annabel woke up it seemed that she was in someone's private quarters. Even half awake she was still on guard, especially since she couldn't recognize her surroundings. "I'll admit that you weren't what I was expecting human. You're more resilient than I thought you'd be." Suzaku says, bring in some sort of food Annabel couldn't identify. If she had to guess it was some animal native to the Makai. Her instincts weren't screaming at her for the moment so she supposed that it wasn't anything threatening. "That's the closest I'll ever get to a compliment here isn't it?" Annabel says warily, accepting the plate and eating it with the same vigor of a starving man. "What's your name human?" Annabel hesitated. At the tournament she would be a different person so she'd need an alias. But what would be a good one to go with? Well there was currently a dragon making itself at home in her head... "You all can call me Ryuuzaki." She says with a grin.


	22. Training Epilogue

**A/N: Um... yeah. Well this appeared out of nowhere. The OCs and side characters demanded a chance to be in the spot light. Densetsu also wanted a chance to be a holy terror. Thanks for reading the first story in this series, see you all later in the sequel!**

 **Training Epilogue**

When Annabel arrived, she mostly expected Seiryuu to be the main one training her. Instead she had been tracking down both Genbu and Byakko for an entire week, she couldn't let down her guard for a second without the imminent threat of being stabbed or maimed by demon beasts. Densetsu was having a field day with all the violence and its host slowly becoming desensitized to it. Before she would have hesitated before destroying Byakko's beasts, guiltily wondering if they had sentience. Now she destroyed them on sight before they could attack, Annabel had been attacked by a pack when she wasn't paying attention and learned that lesson the hard way. "Suzaku, shouldn't I be training with Seiryuu?" Annabel asks irritably as they sat down for dinner. To her surprise the demon was a decent host when he wasn't plotting to escape into the Human World to cause havoc. Suzaku's gaze met hers and he sighed. "Your reiki is very strong, unfortunately you can't use it to your full potential. For now we'll focus on training the body and your reflexes so you don't risk hypothermia every time you use them." He says bluntly, making Annabel wince.

"I understand that but isn't there something... more I could be doing? It just feels like Genkai put us through at the temple." Annabel comments, Suzaku's eyes glinted with malicious glee. I have a feeling his thoughts would send me running if I knew them. "By the time that we're done with you, you won't just be resistant to the cold." He says, Annabel froze. He's definitely talking about striking me with lighting, multiple times from the look on his face. Annabel thought, Densetsu snorted. _**You were the one that thought training was getting too repetitive and boring. Now you'll get the chance to be a human lightning rod!**_ The spirit cackled. I liked it better when I didn't have a sadistic voice in my head. Annabel thought with a groan.

* * *

"So you want those martial arts lessons that I was talking about?" Aiya asks in surprise, no one really took her seriously when she offered. Miranda looked determined. "An idiot asked my best friend for a favor and now she's in trouble. I don't want her worrying about me while she's away." She says. Annabel had been right, after Annabel left Genkai was more focused on training Yusuke. Her control over her fire was decent but she needed something to fall back on. Aiya's brows furrowed, did Miranda's friend get involved with the yakuza? If that was the case then her friend would need more than a run down of akido. "I'll teach you what I can but you should really talk to Schmitt-san, he was in the military before he retired to Japan. I hope your friend stays safe."

Schmitt's face darkened when Miranda explained why she needed someone to teach her to defend herself. The usually jovial German let out a stream of expletives, Miranda wondered if Annabel knew what they translated to. "And you're positive that the police won't be able to help?" The man asks, looking like his energy had just been stolen from him. Miranda nodded. It wasn't like she could run to the police and say that there were demons after her best friend. Schmitt ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Alright, but you can't slack. At. All. By the time I'm finished with you there won't be a single bone in you that hasn't been broken and you'll be able to shot the wings off a humming bird. Am I clear?" He asks gruffly. "Crystal clear Schmitt-sensei." Miranda says, determined not to be dead weight. Maybe if she played her cards right she could at least drag Keiko with her for her martial arts lessons. That Yusuke kid was a magnet for trouble, it wouldn't hurt to learn something other than her abnormally strong slaps.

Meanwhile Hiromi had been keeping a close eye on her employee Katsuhide, his usual clumsy demeanor vanished with the absence of his coworker. "This just stinks of Spirit World bull shit. What has that brat dragged my employee into this time?" She growls. Over the three months Annabel worked for her the American proved to be a hard worker and was determined to read and write Japanese since she arrived. The brunette was more fitted to be in a quiet setting with a calm atmosphere than tracking down demons that slipped through the Spirit World's fingers to cause trouble. She had some favors to call in.

When Kuwabara arrived at the Meioh Private Academy he felt like a sore thumb, a punk like him could never get into a school like this. The first person he decided to talk to looked like a nerd with curly brunet hair and glasses. "Uh, 'scuse me. Do you know where Shuichi Minamo is?" Kuwabara asks, the boy gave him a suspicious look. "So even the brilliant Minamoto gets bullied, huh?" He comments, pushing up his glasses. Kuwabara fumed. "I am not a bully!" He exclaims, the boy didn't looked phased. "Oh? Then is he involved in something illegal?" He asks in amusement, hoping to get the upper hand on his academic rival. "That's quite enough Kaito-san, Kuwabara is a student in a martial arts school I used to belong to." Kurama lied easily, giving the nervous students a reassuring smile.

"Now Kuwabara, would you mind telling me why you suddenly showed up on the grounds of my school?" Kurama asks, inwardly fuming. The tall teen gave him a sheepish grin. "Well, it seems like everyone ran off to do training. Hell, even Miranda managed to find someone to help her out. I was wondering if you could help me out, you know; be sparring buddies?" He asks awkwardly. Kurama sighed, he couldn't fault the delinquent for wanting to improve himself. Compared to everyone else he was just playing catch up without anyone to teach him. "Alright, but if my mother asks I'm tutoring you in science."

* * *

Annabel screamed in agony as she was hit by electricity from multiple directions, seeing Suzaku and his two copies grinning maliciously. "Surely this isn't your limit. Your friend Yusuke dealt with all of my clones, here I've only created two of them." He taunts as the young woman forced herself back onto her feet, her muscles twitching. Note to self: never complain about training unless you want to make it a hundred times worse. She thought. Since the clones were made of energy every time she destroyed one Suzaku would just absorb the energy and create new ones. The clones attacked from a long distance while the original would bait her into close combat, forcing her to spend most of her energy on dodging.

There's only one of me and three of them. How did Yusuke beat him? Annabel wondered, recently her recollection of the series these people were from was starting to become blurry. Not that she thought that everything would be an exact copy of the manga she read. She needed something to even the odds. _**I have an idea, just do what thunder bird is currently doing.**_ Densetsu suggests, Annabel wanted to tug at her hair in frustration. Do you know how much concentration that would probably take? I'm already running around like a chicken with its head cut off! Annabel snapped. _**Let me take over the clone body and I'll help you. I want to kick this bastard's ass myself.**_ Densetsu growls.

As Annabel briefly concentrated on an image of herself she could feel her energy being manipulated and she had absolutely no control over it. As she mentally panicked Densetsu just cackled, enjoying its brief moment of freedom. An ice version of Annabel slowly began to construct itself, the noted difference being the paler features and feral grin on her copy. "This training is pathetic, like watching a puppy getting tortured. There's a reason that humans have survived all these centuries, despite the presence of demons in the early days." Densetsu says, Annabel looked at her double in confusion. What was Densetsu talking about? Suzaku looked at the double possessed by Densetsu, his eyes narrowed. "What are you?" He demands, Densetsu cackled. "Just a concerned party looking out for their best interests. Let's kick this training up a notch."

* * *

Miranda knew her boss looked like he could fight a bear and win but she had no idea he had such an extensive weapons collection. "Uh, Schmitt-sensei? Isn't it illegal to own guns in Japan?" Miranda asks, remembering Annabel mention it after they watched Sword Art Online. "For civilians yes. However I will expect you to become familiar with these to be on the safe side. Criminals won't care about what weapons are legal." Schmitt says solemnly, taking out a hand gun and several different knives. Honestly she wanted to try out what looked like a grenade launcher but that would be overkill. "Schmitt-sensei you are officially the coolest person I have ever met!" She exclaims, Schmitt chuckled. "You'll be revising that opinion as soon as the training actually starts. For now I want you to learn how to disassemble and reassemble these guns. We won't start shooting until you know these weapons inside and out." Miranda groaned. No fair, and just when she thought she would actually have fun training!

Shiori Minamoto blinked in confusion when she saw her son, a brilliant and law abiding citizen, talking to a delinquent with an orange pompadour hair style. They seemed to be talking amiably so it didn't seem like the bigger teen was bullying him. She stilled when the teen's eyes met her and he gave an awkward smile. "Shuichi, who's your friend?" She asks, the teen bowed. "Kuwabara Kazuma, it's a pleasure meeting you Minamoto-san. Your son started tutoring me recently. I apologize if I'm intruding." He says politely, completely in contrast to his outward appearance. Maybe, maybe this teen was just like that Yusuke boy that visited with her son when she was in the hospital! She gave the boy a motherly smile, something Kuwabara seemed uncomfortable with. "It's no trouble at all, any friend of my son is welcome!" She says jovially.

Somehow Kuwabara found himself being dragged into the house, Kurama's mother insisting on making them both tea. "It's weird knowing you have a mom like the rest of us humans. Is she always so nice?" Kuwabara asks, shivering. The only time his sister was ever that nice was when he did something particularly stupid and was about to be punished. Kurama raised an eyebrow. "Shuichi Minamoto was a normal, albeit intelligent, child growing up. I gave up being a demon when I chose to stay with my birth mother." Kurama says as Kuwabara tried envisioning the charming and intelligent Kurama as a normal child. "Primary school must have been hell for you growing up." Kuwabara deadpanned, Kurama only responded with a strained smile. The kitsune wasn't mentioning how much of a brat he'd been before his mother had gotten hurt.

Genkai was merciless in her training, even attacking her student in his sleep. Yusuke cursed aloud as the woman threw a rock, coated with reiki, at his head while he was sleeping. "Dammit old hag, for once I'd like to sleep without you trying to kill me!" He fumes, Genkai narrowed her eyes. "You're going to fight demons you moron, they'll take any chance they can to kill you. Out of all my students you have the worst sixth sense." She states. Annabel's sixth sense borderlined on being premonitions while Miranda's was about average. Yusuke groaned. "Where are those girls anyways?" He wonders. "They're both fine, the girls are receiving training of their own. Now focus!" She snapped.

When Miranda dragged Keiko with her to Aiya's house, their jaws dropped when they saw the large dojo. There was even an area where the students seemed to be practicing their stances in eerie unison. "Miranda, you made it. And you brought a friend!" Aiya says jovially, dressed in a white gi. From the way her clothes were sticking to her she had been training for a while. "What martial arts does your family practice?" Keiko asks curiously. "We use a bit of everything so we just call it Anything Goes School of Martial Arts!" Keiko and Miranda both sweat dropped. "By anything goes, that means-" "Whatever will help you win in a fight is allowed. My dad even used Cat Fu to scratch an opponent's eyes out." Aiya says in admiration. "Um, I don't know much about martial arts competitions but isn't going for the eyes or balls illegal?" Miranda asks, Aiya's eyes glinted. "Who said that it was during a competition?" Miranda, what the hell did you just get us into?! Keiko wanted to scream.


End file.
